June Brides
by EvergreenDreamweaver
Summary: Not one, but two weddings in Bayport in the space of three weeks, and both involve the Hardys in one way or another. This story abounds with Original Characters, most of them old friends you have met in prior stories. After all, one must invite or include all one's friends in a wedding. This is a happy story almost exclusively dedicated to romance; not much mystery or suspense.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last story in the series; after _June Brides_ there aren't any more written.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 1

Vanessa Bender carefully placed the glittery rhinestone-and-pearl-flowered tiara on top of her head, and settled it into place, closely watching herself in the dresser mirror. With great tenderness, she adjusted it minutely, then fluffed the shimmering white illusion veil over her shoulders and smiled at her reflection.

"You look absolutely beautiful," a soft voice said, off to one side, and Vanessa turned and smiled at her best friend, Megan Wright.

"It is nice, isn't it? I love this style."

"And the flowers are so lovely," Megan agreed. "I like it better than the ones that are just princess crowns, all glitter. This is softer-looking, but it's fancier than those fabric bands. It definitely suits you, Vanessa."

"Mmm-hmmm." Dreamily, Vanessa returned her gaze to the mirror. "And I like the fingertip-length veil, too."

Megan giggled. "Fingertip-length on you would almost be waltz length on me," she acknowledged ruefully, alluding to the ten-inch height difference between herself and Vanessa. "When I was little I dreamed of having a floor-length veil and long train – it would be so elegant...but I'd be simply drowned in something like that!"

"Poor, short little Megan," a new voice chimed in, laughing. April Wayne stood on tiptoe, doing her best to loom over the diminutive red-haired Megan. "Let me try it now, Vanessa, can't I? I'm the right height, after all – well, closer, anyway!"

"No, no, me, let me or Megan try it on! Even if it is too long. Us short people have to stick together!" Tiny blonde Bella Scarpetti bounced on the bed, adding her giggles to the noise. "I love weddings," she sighed blissfully, "And the next three weeks are going to be simply _mah_ -vel-ous! Two big, fancy weddings right here in Bayport, and I'm invited to BOTH!"

Ostentatious throat-clearing from the bedroom doorway interrupted Bella's delighted words. "AHEM! And just who, might I ask, said you all could try on my wedding veil anyway?" Trying to look indignant, Dani Tanner marched into the room, but her assumed scowl melted quickly into amused laughter. She stood back and admired Vanessa frankly. "It looks better on you than me, Vanessa!"

"Not likely," Vanessa scoffed. She removed the bridal headpiece with great care and held it out to its rightful owner. "It's perfect for you and you know it!"

"Anyone else want to try it?" Dani invited, rather than accepting it. "Megan? You're probably the next in line, girl; you've got that promise ring, after all – give it a shot! Let's see how you look. Not you," she chuckled, adroitly parrying April's attempt to grab the finery. "You're too young, almost-sister-in-law! No wedding in your future for years and years and years and—ACK!" Dani let out a squawk as Bella slid in between April and Vanessa and snatched up the tiara. "Be careful with it!"

"I am, I am." Bella hummed to herself as she delicately placed the crown on her blonde curls and admired herself in the mirror. "I think I ought to show this to Tony," she mused, turning this way and that to view it from all angles.

"I'm gonna tell Tony to head for the hills and not look back!" Vanessa threatened. "Dani's right; you and April are both too young to be thinking of —"

"I'm almost eighteen! And Bella's eighteen already! Anyway, like you're so much older!" April derided. "You're thinking of it!" She took the headpiece from Bella and perched the tiara on her light brown hair, then tilted it saucily over one eye.

"Now, now," peacekeeper Megan intervened soothingly, "Every girl loves to dress up in bridal clothes, no matter how old she is; I think it's genetic." As April reluctantly removed the veil and headpiece, Megan took it and gently set it atop her red-gold curls. She eyed herself critically and then shook her head. "It looked better on Vanessa," she admitted, and took it off, handing it to Dani.

Dani shook the layers of veiling out, then set the flowered crown on her head. "It'll look different for the wedding," she commented. "I'm going to wear my hair up. I'd thought about taking the blue streaks out," she went on, "but Jack said he loved them, so I decided to leave them in."

"They're definitely you," Vanessa observed, flopping down on the bed beside Bella and flinging her arms out to her sides. "Two weeks of wedding fun!" she exulted. "What could be better? And you're not the only one invited to both," she reminded Bella. "So's Megan...and I'm IN both, so there!"

"That's got to be so much fun!" Bella enthused, bouncing excitedly again. Vanessa groaned and reached to hold her still and stop the jouncing of the bed. "Two beautiful bridesmaid dresses and flowers and rehearsal dinners and the ceremonies and—"

"Stop, stop!" Vanessa pleaded, this time meaning the recitation of events, not the bouncing. "I'm trying to forget all of that; it's too overwhelming to think of it in a big chunk."

"You're kidding! I'd love it!"

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "No you wouldn't. You just think you would, until the actual fact. As you say, dress fittings for two weddings, shoes, hairdresser and makeup appointments, rehearsals and rehearsal dinners, parties, photographers…and then there's coping with those manic-depressive brides—ack! Help!" She broke off, shrieking with laughter and holding her arms over her face to defend herself as Dani swooped down to whack her with a pillow. Bella prudently moved off the bed and out of the way, taking refuge behind April and Megan. "Dani! Don't! If you give me a black eye it'll ruin the photos…"

Dani snorted in derision, but dropped the pillow and ceased the attack. "You'd have time to heal. My wedding's not for over two weeks. And I don't care how you look for the other one…no, that's not really true," she amended. "That was mean of me. I want you to look nice for Callie's wedding too."

"See?" Vanessa appealed to the others. "Look at the mood swings! I was right about the manic-depress— no, Dani, don't hit me again!" Giggling, she rolled off the bed and away from the beautiful firefighter. "I'm glad Callie's wedding is first," she went on. "It's a gorgeous venue and all, and I was honored to be asked to be in the wedding…but I don't feel as close to her as I used to be. I think she just asked me and Liz Webling for old times' sake. She has other friends from college now."

"Well, you have other friends now too," April reminded her, indicating herself, Dani and Bella. "You didn't know Dani or Bella when you graduated from high school, and you barely knew me."

"And I didn't know any of you at all," Megan said softly. She smiled at the others. "And you're the best friends anyone could ask for."

Bella sighed. "I wanna be a bridesmaid," she mourned. "And no, Dani, don't feel guilty; there's no way I would have expected you to ask me. You just met me! But I want to be in a wedding – somebody's wedding – and organizing the catering from Marco's for the rehearsal dinner and the reception simply doesn't have the cachet that being a bridesmaid does!"

"It's essential, though," Megan comforted her. "And you were so generous to offer it, too!"

"Alexander pitched a fit, but who cares? I wanted to do it."

Dani stared at Bella thoughtfully, wheels evidently turning busily in her mind. "Bella," she said slowly, "I maybe could use a candle lighter. We were just going to have one of the ushers do it, but…there's still time to make changes like that. I don't know about getting you a matching dress, there probably isn't time for that, but…"

"DANI! Do you mean it?! I'd love to, I'd love to! I can find a dress that coordinates, don't worry about that – and I absolutely forbid you to even think about having to give me an attendant's gift, or anything like that Just letting me be part of it… Oh, you're absolutely the best!" Bella capered around the room, stopping to give Dani a fervent hug. "Oooh, an excuse to go shopping for a beautiful dress, in New York…" She pranced again, ignoring the other girls' laughter.

"Tony is going to absolutely have a cow," Vanessa predicted. "He thought he was merely escorting you as a guest; now look! He'll have to dress to match you."

Bella sniffed dismissively. "No _problemo_. Tony is a lamb, and he has to wear a tux all the time to work at Marco's anyway, so where's the difficulty? I can sit with him after I light the candles, can't I?"

"Yes," Dani affirmed.

"Yay!" Bella was still spinning in delight. "Oooh, I need new shoes too…"

April, being a meticulous sort, was leafing through a loose-leaf notebook where she apparently had pages of lists. "Bella…candle lighter," she murmured, jotting it down. "Dress to coordinate with bridesmaids'. You won't need flowers, at least not a bouquet. But maybe a wrist corsage or something like that?" She glanced up at Dani, who nodded.

"Oooh!"

"I think Bella is rather pleased, don't you?" Vanessa murmured aside to Megan, who giggled.

"You can tease all you want. Just keep in mind that I expect to be included in your weddings," Bella warned, plopping back down on the bed. "You'll have to, because I'm the guys' only female cousin, you know! And Lord only knows, they won't think of it!"

"I'll make a note of it, for future reference," Vanessa said, straight-faced. Megan, looking dreamy, nodded assent, then asked a more practical question:

"What else is in your Book of Lists, April?"

"Everything," April said proudly. "Since I'm Dani's maid of honor, I have to keep track of all this stuff. All the bridesmaids' info, all the groomsmen info, everything. I don't go anywhere without this notebook. Appointment times, prices, telephone numbers. Dani and Jack sure lucked out – it seems like the Hardys knew someone to fill in every slot! Photographer – Matt Eckersley..." She heaved an expressive sigh. "He is so cool… Anyway….music – Allison Lewis to play the violin and Matt's Broadway-singer-girlfriend Macey as a soloist. Catering – Marco's Italian Restaurant of New York, thanks to Bella!"

Bella preened smugly.

"I am so glad I'm not Callie's maid of honor," Vanessa commented. "Her roommate Jennifer has to handle all those details, along with Callie. All I have to do is show up for fittings and rehearsals and parties and dinners and…oh dear, I'm overwhelmed again!" She collapsed back onto the bed, laughing in spite of herself.

"Remember all the details of everything, to share with us," April instructed. "I want to know everything. If anything goes wrong, then we have time to avert the same things happening to Dani and Jack."

Dani looked at Jack's little sister in awe. "You, April Wayne, are scary. I never had any idea you were so efficient."

April beamed. "I've had to learn to be, growing up with just Jack and Dad – and now, just Jack. Be warned, Dani, he might run Wayne's World efficiently, but in his personal life he's a scatterbrain." She looked down at her notebook. "The only fly in the ointment is that I don't get a handsome young hunk to escort me – not that there's anything wrong with Mr. Hardy, mind you! He's just kind of…uh…not as young."

"But still a hunk," Bella put in, with a giggle.

"I thought it was so sweet of Jack to ask Mr. Hardy to be his best man – he said he tried to choose between Frank and Joe, and then realized that he'd been friends with Fenton longer than either of them." Megan smiled. "And that way, Vanessa and I get to walk with our…significant others."

"Go on, Megan, you can say it. You're allowed," Vanessa teased. "Fiancé. Frank's your fiancé."

"Well, almost, anyway." Megan's cheeks were rosy pink.

"Don't you love how she gets all flustered when it's brought up? He's your 'promised,' then, if that makes you feel better." Apparently it did, for Megan made no more objections.

"And when do you get your ring, Miss Smarty-Pants Bender?" Dani jibed. "Or is Golden Boy too much of a cheapskate to spring for one?"

"Joe's not a cheapskate," Vanessa defended, "just perpetually short of funds." Her hand went to the locket she wore, touching it lovingly. "He'll give me one eventually." She looked at her wristwatch. "Rats, I need to go. I'm meeting Joe at four. Dani, thanks so much for letting us come over and play with your pretties."

"Next week I'll have the dress here to show you," Dani promised.

"I can't wait to see it," April sighed happily.

They began trailing towards the bedroom door, and then the front entrance to Dani's apartment, saying their goodbyes. Irrepressible Bella broke into song, directing it pointedly at Vanessa:

" _Gonna find my baby, gonna hold him tight,_

 _Lookin' forward to a little afternoon delight…"_

"Bella!" Vanessa gave outraged chase.

The melody floated back as Bella dashed out the door towards her car, eluding Vanessa's clutches.

" _Skyrockets in flight – WHEEE!…afternoon delight. Aaa-aaa-aaafternoon delight!"_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

 _Thank you to Cherylann and Max2013 for their kind reviews._

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 2

At Wayne's World, on the outskirts of the Bayport Airport complex, three young men went about their tasks with a minimum of fuss and next to no conversation. Afternoons were ordinarily semi-relaxed here, unless the schedule was tight, and this one even more laid-back than usual.

Jack Wayne, the owner and chief pilot of the charter-and-cargo flight enterprise, was seated in his little office, door closed for concentration's sake, his dark head bent over paperwork that seemed to pour endlessly from various sources: the printer in the corner, the hanging files in the cabinet drawers, and a constant influx brought by representatives of the U.S. Postal Service.

Frank Hardy, part-time pilot, full-time college student – now on summer break, to his enormous satisfaction – and semi-amateur detective, was perched on a stool in the hangar next to 'his' plane, filling out report forms for the flight which had just ended, and exchanging absent-minded banter with his younger brother.

Joe, not being a flier by choice, although he could pilot a plane in an emergency if he had to, worked part-time for Wayne's World as a cargo loader and general gofer, when he wasn't attending college or sleuthing with Frank or their father Fenton. At the moment he was maneuvering boxes out of Frank's plane and stacking them near the front entrance, where they would be picked up later in the day by another – hopefully – satisfied client of Wayne's World. He set down a box now and brushed wavy blonde hair from his forehead, where it was sticking in the sultry heat of early June.

"Whew…hot!" he commented.

"Mmm-hmm," Frank murmured, sounding abstracted. "It was hot upstairs too." By 'upstairs' the elder Hardy wasn't referring to a building, but his recent flight.

"You about done with that report so you can help me here?"

That got Frank's attention. "Help you? Why should I help you? I don't get paid to load cargo, and you do."

Joe set a third crate on his furniture dolly and secured them for the short trip to the entrance. "It was just an idea. If I get done early I'll have time to grab a shower before I meet Vanessa at four."

Frank didn't evince much sympathy. "Shouldn't have made a date right after work," he said, and went back to his report.

Joe couldn't argue the point, so he simply continued transferring boxes. For a few minutes both worked in silence.

Frank was the first to break it, and did so by clicking his ballpoint pen closed and tearing off the top page of his report A carbon copy remained in the report log. "Has Dad said anything about Jack's bachelor party to you?"

Joe wheeled around, blinking in surprise at this out-of-the-blue question. "No. Has he to you? I sort of forgot about it…it got swamped under a tidal wave of tuxedoes and fancy dress shoes and boutonnières, and all that cra…stuff," he finished, with a quick, guilty glance at the closed door of Jack's domain. "And Dad's the one planning it? How lame will that be?"

"Well, he's Jack's best man, so it's supposedly his responsibility. And it might not be lame… I know I certainly don't want to have to do it! I just wondered if you'd heard him mention anything."

"No – not a word." Joe turned again as Jack's office door opened. "Maybe Jack has talked to him about it."

"Who've I talked to and about what?" Jack moved into the main part of the hangar, flexing his shoulders.

"Dad – about your bachelor party," Joe replied with a smirk.

Jack cringed. "God love you, Joe, but Dani would kill me – literally kill me – if I did that the night before the wedding! I don't think I want to have one at all."

"It doesn't have to be the night before the wedding, does it?" Frank asked. "I mean…you could – everyone could – have a day or so to recover?"

Jack eyed him reprovingly. "With most of the people involved in the wedding under 21, and that includes you two and nearly all your friends who might be invited, it would have to be a very quiet affair anyhow."

Joe appeared to consider that carefully. "Well," he said at last, "Matt's over 21. And Tony, maybe? He's older than you by a little, Frank, isn't he? And don't you have some other guys to ask, Jack?"

"Not really…not around here, since Jesse died last year. Don't worry about a bachelor party, Joe."

"It's supposed to be the best man's job to arrange it," Frank said again, "and that's Dad."

"Well, maybe I'll talk to Fenton about it," Jack half-promised.

"It ought to be unusual…and quirky," Joe suggested. "To go along with the way you proposed to Dani."

Both Frank and Jack started to laugh. Joe's suggestion might not hold much water, but his comment about the proposal was certainly on target!

#####

It had been in March – less than three months ago. They'd decided to go to New York City to catch the Rangers-Flyers hockey game one Sunday afternoon. Dani adored ice hockey, and they'd been to several games over the last couple of months. Jack had discovered that attending a hockey game with the vibrant Ms. Tanner was a whole lot more fun than attending one with just about anyone else. Once upon a time he might have asked Joe Hardy, or possibly Frank, but now? It was Dani or no one.

By the break at the end of the second period they were thirsty from yelling, and if not starving, at least afflicted with a severe case of the munchies. Forcibly willing the Rangers to get off their duffs and win the game was hungry work. So far they hadn't succeeded – the Flyers were ahead, 2 to 1 – but they had hopes for the third and final period.

"I want a hot dog," Dani announced as they stood in line at one of the many concession stands in Madison Square Garden. "And French fries. This is going to count as dinner, right?"

"I'm afraid so – a hot dog isn't much of a dinner, though. Sorry." Jack felt embarrassed. He hadn't considered the fact that the game would extend well into the dinner hour and they had only grabbed a sandwich apiece for lunch before coming into the city.

"It is if you put enough stuff on it. Nothing to be sorry about," Dani replied cheerfully, and once she had her hot dog, proceeded to smother it in chili and cheese and God knew what else. Jack, more of a purist, merely put mustard and pickle relish on his. "Are we going to get anything else?" she asked, through a large mouthful.

"Yeah, something for dessert." Jack scanned the menu, not quite sure what he was searching for. "Ice cream sound good?"

"Frozen yogurt."

"Okay, frozen yogurt. Oh, hey! They've got Cracker Jack! I want some of that."

Dani frowned. "Cracker Jacks go with baseball, not hockey."

"I don't care. I like 'em and I want 'em. When I was little I thought they were made exclusively for me, because of my name." Jack ordered two cups of frozen yogurt – chocolate and vanilla swirl – and a large box of Cracker Jack, which he slipped into his coat pocket for later. They found an empty table in the concourse and sat down to finish their abbreviated meal. Once the hot dogs and frozen yogurt were gone and the paper napkins and other detritus discarded, the two returned to their seats. They'd gotten lucky with those seats, which were actually right behind a railing on the second tier, and had more leg room than the other rows behind them.

"New York had better get their heads into this game," Dani muttered balefully as the teams took the ice for the final period.

As if the team had heard, her wish was granted almost immediately; the Rangers scored when only two minutes had elapsed – and then scored again, three minutes later. The crowd erupted in frenzied howls, and no one was more excited than Dani Tanner. She shrieked her delight, alternately bouncing in her seat and leaping up to jump up and down and clap her hands.

Jack, although enjoying the whole thing immensely, was more subdued. Besides, he knew how annoying it was when front-row fans kept standing up, effectively blocking the view of the ice from anyone behind for dozens of rows up. He stayed seated for the most part, and dug out his box of Cracker Jack.

Keeping most of his attention on the action on the ice and a little of it directed towards Dani, he opened the box and began munching contentedly. As the level of popcorn went down, he began wondering what sort of prize might be packed inside, and carefully fished out the little paper packet. A few moments later he sat as if transfixed, staring at a gaudy little plastic ring. It had been colored gold, and an impressively sized 'diamond' ornamented the band.

 _A ring. A diamond ring._ He gulped, licking his lips nervously, and cast a hasty glance from the corner of his eye towards Dani. She was oblivious of him, her attention riveted on an altercation currently taking place on the ice, shouting insults he _hoped_ she had learned from her firefighter colleagues, that made him wince. _It's a sign. An omen. No matter that I was going to wait awhile longer. It's gotta be right…now._

Without further thought, Jack shoved the half-empty box of Cracker Jack off his lap and squirmed out of his seat, clutching the plastic ring in his hand. He turned towards Dani and managed to cram his long legs into an 'on bended knee' position. "Dani?" Even to himself, his voice was barely audible. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Dani?"

Engrossed in the game, she barely glanced at him. "What're you doing down there? Did you drop something? You're going to get all sticky; there's got to be spilled beer on that floor, and who knows what else!"

"Dani! Listen!"

"Get up, Jack, you're missing the game! Whatever it is, we'll find it later." She turned her head, avidly following the puck's skid over the ice. "C'MON, GET IT TO…YEAH!"

"DANI!" Jack tapped her knee. "Listen to me!" He seized her hand and held on tight. "Dani, will you marry me?" The question was lost as the crowd began screaming again over a precarious save by the Rangers' goalie.

"What? I can't hear you!"

Jack took a deep breath and bellowed it at the top of his lungs. "DANI, I LOVE YOU. WILL YOU MARRY ME?"

As if he'd flipped a switch, the crowd around them abruptly fell silent. Most of them were staring at him as if he were deranged. Somewhere in the near distance he could hear voices calling out, "Hey, that guy over there just proposed!"

Dani was staring too – just like the others. No, not quite like the others. She didn't look like she thought he was crazy, she looked like she wasn't certain she'd heard what she thought she had…despite the volume. Her eyes were starry – and enormous. "What…did you…say?" she whispered.

"I said…" Jack swallowed hard. "I said…would you…marry me. Please," he added hastily. He felt the hard bulge of the little plastic Cracker Jack ring in his hand, and pried his fingers open. He held the trinket out on a shaking palm. "I…don't have…anything but this. But I can't wait…any longer…"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"Wh-what?"

"Yes." Louder now. "Yes, I will marry you. Yes, I will marry you. Yes, yes, YES!" She leaned forward and flung her arms about his neck, clinging to him as if her life depended on it, laying kisses over his cheeks, his brow, an occasional one on his lips. He wasn't sure if she was laughing or crying or both. "Give me that ring, Jack! I don't care if it's plastic!"

He fumbled it into her left hand and she jammed it onto her ring finger. It was too large, but Dani didn't seem to care. She laid her head on his shoulder and clung like a baby monkey to its mother.

"Hey, buddy—" Jack felt a hand tap his shoulder. "Lookit up there on the big screen!" Dazedly, he turned his head to look, and was stunned to see himself and Dani, in living color and gigantic in size. The Madison Square Garden sound system was blaring out what he vaguely recognized as 'wedding music' and all around them – all around the arena, in fact – people were applauding and cheering.

"D-dani…look." He nudged her and shakily pointed to the Jumbotron.

She did so, and immediately turned bright red. "oh…" She buried her face in his shoulder again.

"Congratulations, honey!" "So sweet, aren't they!?" "Hey, fella, nice job!" "Congratulations, you two! Hope you're very happy!" "Didja see, he gave her a Cracker Jack ring!" "Huh, talk about cheap!" Comments rained on them from all sides.

Jack used the opportunity to scramble back into his seat, settling a still-crimson Dani into hers. He ruefully noted that his jeans were sopping wet at the knees and had crushed Cracker Jack sticking to them. He brushed at them ineffectively, then glanced out of the corner of his eye. "You were right about the beer on the floor."

Dani laughed. The sudden blast of an air horn, followed by fans leaping to their feet and uttering ecstatic whoops, caused her to look at the Jumbotron, and suddenly squeal: "Jack, look! The Rangers scored again, and there's only 38 seconds left! We're gonna win!"

#####

"Well, you aren't the first guy to propose at a sporting event," Frank said now, still chuckling. "We've all seen it happen lots of times."

"And Dani will never forget how you proposed to her," Joe added. "She'll tell your children and grandchildren about it."

Jack blushed slightly at this mention of potential progeny. "She won't give up that stupid plastic ring," he sighed, although he was smiling fondly too. "Even though I got her a perfectly nice diamond ring, she keeps that toy one on a chain in her jewelry box!"

"And she'll probably keep it forever," Frank said sagely. Constant exposure to Megan over the last couple of years had made him wiser in the complex ways of female behavior – or so he hoped! A nagging vibration and insistent chiming from his pocket interrupted the conversation. "Hang on, got a call." He fished the cell phone from his pocket, frowning slightly at the readout. A cell number he sort of recognized but didn't…quite. "This is Frank."

" _Frank? It's me – Callie."_ The sweet, half-familiar voice on the other end of the connection was surprisingly forlorn. _"I know this is sort of awkward, but…something's happened, and I think I need your help – or my wedding is going to be completely ruined!"_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

 _Thank you, Cherylann, Sarai and Max2013 for your comments on Chapter 2._

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 3

Frank stared straight ahead as he listened to Callie's rushed words, gazing blankly at Joe, still shuttling boxes from the plane. Callie calling him and asking for help – how familiar, yet how strange, after all this time! He blinked, pulling himself from his abstraction and trying to concentrate on what the girl was saying, and respond appropriately.

"What's happened? How could something ruin your wedding now? And how could I be of any help?" Wild scenarios flashed through his mind: Callie and her fiancé breaking up practically on the eve of their wedding; Callie wanting him to act as a go-between to patch things up; Callie wanting…Good God! – wanting to get back together with him, either to make Jonathan jealous or on the rebound! _Don't be ridiculous!_ he told himself sharply _. Callie knows that no matter what, I'm unavailable. No matter how fond I once was of her, I love Megan!_

As if reading his mind, Callie laughed a little, and sounded less tense when she spoke again. _"Don't worry, it's not what you're probably thinking. But I'd rather not explain the whole thing over the phone. Is there any way you can come over so we can talk?"_

"Tonight? No…both Joe and I are busy tonight. Would tomorrow be okay? In the morning, maybe? We could come over then." _Lady, no way am I going over to your place by myself – where I go, Joe goes, when you're involved. I am_ _not_ _going to upset Megan!_ To be entirely truthful, he doubted that Megan would be upset at all; she was pretty secure these days…but he wasn't willing to risk it.

"Whatever it is, not early!" Joe said loudly, having overheard Frank's suggestion. Frank grimaced and made a shushing motion at him.

" _That would be okay, I think…"_ Callie sounded slightly doubtful, but evidently didn't feel she was in any position to argue. _"Maybe about 10:30 or so?"_

"We'll be there."

" _Thanks, Frank – you're a lifesaver!"_

Frank ended the call, feeling both irritated and curious.

"What was that all about?" Joe came over, looking curious.

"That was Callie."

"CALLIE!? What the heck is she calling you about?"

"She says something's happened that could ruin her wedding, and she wants us to help. She didn't want to explain it over the phone, which is why I told her we'd go over there tomorrow."

Joe's eyebrows elevated in surprise. "Okay, that's a new one." He had barely spoken to Callie since January before last – nearly 18 months. She'd been at his graduation, a year ago, and he dimly remembered her congratulating him after the ceremony, but that was all. While Joe no longer considered Callie the Wicked Witch of the East, as he once had, he didn't regard her as a close friend, either. "What could spoil her wedding?" He snickered. "Jonathan getting cold feet and she needs us to apply subtle pressure?"

"I don't think so – she said it wasn't what I was probably thinking, and I admit, that's the first thing I thought of. You know, I'm kind of intrigued. After all, maybe it's something we can fix, or look into. Maybe her wedding presents got stolen, or something—"

"Good Lord, that would be a matter for the police, not us!" Joe interrupted.

Frank began to laugh. "I don't think I've ever heard you say those exact words before."

Joe gave him a sour look, but didn't bother to reply.

"Maybe she just needs somebody to park cars, and didn't want to ask over the phone."

"Why be that dramatic if you just want valets?" Joe demanded. "Besides, I'm going as a guest, as Vanessa's date, so she can't make me park cars!"

"She can't make you park cars anyway, simmer down."

"Speaking of Vanessa—" Joe checked his watch. "I've got to go. I'm supposed to meet her at four."

Frank motioned him away. "Go, go." He watched as his brother sped towards the parking lot, leaped into his BMW convertible and departed in a squeal of tires on pavement.

Jack, who had retreated to his office while Frank was on the phone, came out in time to view Joe's swift departure. "He didn't even sign out!" he complained, although he was chuckling too.

"I'll sign him out. We set for Monday, then? What're you doing tomorrow?"

"We're set; schedule looks good – nice and full. And tomorrow I'm sleeping in," Jack said with great satisfaction. "Dani's working three days, starting tomorrow morning. And April had better keep the noise level down, or she'll feel my wrath!"

"I'm sure April is terrified," Frank retorted dryly. "Well, tell Dani 'hi' for me. I've got to get home and change; I've got a date with Megan myself. See you Monday."

#####

The next morning was blue-skied and sunny. Taking Joe's convertible – as opposed to Frank's Saturn – was a no-brainer, and the brothers arrived at the Shaw house at 10:25 precisely. The place was a beehive of activity; apparently family and friends – the bridal party friends who had come from out of town and were staying either with the Shaws or in local hotels – were having a Sunday brunch buffet! When they knocked on the front door, Callie's father opened it and cordially invited them in.

"Were we invited for brunch?" Joe asked from the corner of his mouth as they waited for Callie to join them.

"Shh. I don't think so," Frank muttered.

"Frank! Joe!" Callie walked over – and then paused. There was an uncomfortable little silence, and Frank wondered wildly just how one greeted an old girlfriend in a situation like this. Did she expect them to hug? Kiss? Shake hands?

Callie solved the problem, taking matters into her own hands. She hugged them both, Joe first, and then beckoned to someone. "I don't believe you have met my fiancé, Jonathan Brooks. Jonathan, these are two old friends of mine, Frank and Joe Hardy."

Jonathan Brooks was nearly as big as Biff Hooper. He was easily three inches taller than Frank, and probably outweighed Joe by 20 pounds. He had sandy brown hair and hazel eyes, and was deeply tanned, and he flashed a friendly grin as he shook hands with the Hardy brothers. "Nice to meet you guys," he said. "Callie's talked about her friends back here in Bayport."

Joe, remembering back to Christmas break of a year and a half before, wondered just what Callie might have said about some of those 'friends,' and hoped she'd been charitable. "I think I've heard you play football for Colorado?" he asked.

"I do – second-string quarterback. Next year I'll have my chance, our starting QB just graduated."

"Joe plays for the college we go to," Frank put in.

"Yeah? What position?"

"Punt returns and receiver."

"And this is Jonathan's roommate and best man, Steve Hayes." Callie was bringing up more people to be introduced. "And my roommate and maid of honor, Jennifer Ross."

Steve was not quite as tall as Jonathan, but still pretty big. White teeth flashed in a wide grin, a striking contrast to his coffee-colored skin and dark brown eyes. "What's this I hear? Another receiver in the crowd? Yeah!" He exchanged a fist-bump with Joe, and nodded to Frank.

"Steve plays wide receiver too," Jonathan explained.

"In that case, he and Joe will have a lot to talk about. Hello, Jennifer, it's a pleasure to meet you." Frank smiled at Callie's roommate. To his surprise, Jennifer wasn't the campus beauty queen he'd half-expected. She was about Callie's height, with brown hair and blue eyes, and on the plumpish side, and she had a crooked left incisor, which gave her smile a quirky appeal – but her face was pleasant and friendly, her voice was nearly as sweet as Megan's, and her manner open and appealing. Frank decided he liked Ms. Ross.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, I brought these guys here for a reason, and I need to talk to them for a few minutes." Callie led the brothers to her father's den, away from the brunch setup in the dining room, leaving a few people staring after them curiously.

"Here's the problem: something has gone missing in the last couple of days; something that I was intending to use in the wedding ceremony," she began, once they had settled into chairs. "It's a little heirloom Bible that I want to carry with my bouquet, and it's been used at weddings in my family for generations – since my great-great-grandmother carried it back in the early 1900s. It means a lot to me, because all the brides who have carried it have written their names, their husband's name, and the wedding date in it, either in the back or the front. Yes, I can get married without it," she smiled, "but it would almost not feel legal if I did! And I would so hate to be the bride who broke the tradition of the little Bible being carried at my wedding!"

Frank and Joe exchanged looks. This sounded pretty straightforward. "Can you tell us where you last saw it?" Frank asked.

"There was a bridal shower here on Thursday night," she replied promptly. "I brought it downstairs to show people. I remember setting it on the buffet in the dining room before I started opening gifts, but when I went to get it, later, after the party was over, it wasn't there. We'd stacked boxes and ribbons and gift wrap there, and I just assumed it was under all the stuff…but it wasn't."

"Is it possible that someone took it for a joke?" Joe asked. "I am not making accusations," he hastened to add. "I'm asking about possibilities."

"You're right," Callie confirmed. "There were lots of people at the shower who aren't here this morning, and of course none of the guys were. A lot of the attendees were friends of my mother – Mrs. Morton, for instance! People from church! And although I suppose it's possible, the joke would have come out by now, wouldn't it? Besides, we aren't junior high kids now – haven't we outgrown pranks?"

"Can you walk us through the sequence of events?" Frank requested.

She thought about it for a few moments. "Okay…we all gathered in the living room first, and had drinks, and played some party games." For some reason, Callie's pretty face flushed at the recollection, but she didn't elaborate. "Then we went into the dining room, because the table there made it convenient to put gifts on. I'd put the Bible in the drawer of the end table in the living room, and when we moved into the other room I took it out. I passed it around, before I started opening presents, and explained the history of it and why it was so important to me. Then I wrapped it back up – we keep it wrapped in tissue paper when it's not in use – and set it on the buffet, where I figured it would be safe."

"So you had it back, after everyone had a chance to see it," Joe clarified, and Callie nodded.

"I opened presents, and passed them all around. I don't suppose you guys know anything about bridal showers—" Both Frank and Joe shook their heads emphatically, "but gifts always get handed around so everyone can look at everything. The maid of honor gets the task of writing down what I got and who gave it. When I was finished, we had refreshments, and everybody just sort of mingled and talked. It was pretty late by the time people left, and then there was just me and Mom and Jennifer and Heather and my cousin Katy here, to clean things up." She sighed. "When I went to get the little Bible, I couldn't find it. At first I thought it maybe got accidentally picked up with some of the wrapping paper, but we went through all the garbage and recycling stuff, and it wasn't anywhere!"

"Can I take a look in the dining room?" Frank asked. "I know it's been a couple of days since, and I'm sure you looked, but…"

Callie shook her head. "There's a bunch of people in there still, because of the brunch. You can't go in there and snoop around."

He grinned. "I won't 'snoop around.' At least not obviously. I'll be very discreet." Without waiting for permission, he quickly exited the den and slipped into the dining room. As Callie had said, there were still quite a few people milling around, refilling plates and standing around and conversing. Frank unobtrusively looked around the buffet, but it was plain that no little Bible was on or near it. Casually dropping an olive, he peeked beneath the dining table while retrieving it, but saw nothing. _Of course,_ he reasoned, _they'd have cleaned everything up and vacuumed and all that, before this shindig this morning, and it would have been spotted then, if it was there at all!_ He returned to the den, closing the door behind him.

"Nothing, right?" Callie demanded, and he nodded.

"We really should talk to people who were here that night," he suggested, "perhaps someone saw something that didn't strike them as odd then, but might, now."

"Well, I suppose it's all right. You can talk to the ones who are here," Callie said, although she didn't look very happy about having her friends and family members questioned in regards to a possible theft. "And of course people know I lost the Bible, and I said I was going to ask you to look into it. But as I said before, a lot of Mom's friends, and older relatives, were here then, and of course they aren't here now. And Vanessa and Liz were here, too!"

"I'd forgotten about that," Joe admitted, "but yeah, I remember Van saying she was going to your shower. She didn't say anything about you losing the Bible, though."

"She wouldn't have known. She and Liz were gone by the time I discovered it was missing."

"If we could split up and each be in a separate room, we can get through this faster," Joe offered. "Plus, your friends won't feel like we're ganging up on them if it's just one-on-one." Both Frank and Callie both looked approving at his suggestion.

"Why don't you take over the living room, then, Joe?" Callie led Joe to the small formal living room just off the entry hall, leaving Frank in the den. "I'll start bringing in suspects for interrogation."

"Callie!"

"Kidding, I'm kidding! I'm sorry…really, I do appreciate this." She patted his shoulder on her way out the door.

"Callie, wait a second – can I have some paper and a pen? I didn't come here prepped for this!"

She turned back, smiling. "Sure, Joe. No problem."

###

Even with them working separately, it took over an hour to get through just the people who were at the Shaw house this morning. If they'd had to question everyone who had been at the bridal shower they'd have been tied up all day. First, they had to be reassuring: No, they weren't police officers. Yes, Callie had asked them to help her locate her missing Bible, because they were old friends and because they had had some experience in solving mysteries. No, no one was being accused of anything at all; they were merely trying to jog peoples' memories to see if anything might be remembered that would help in the search.

They asked the basic questions: Do you remember seeing Callie's little Bible on Thursday night? Where were you sitting, in the dining room, while Callie was opening presents? Did you happen to see anyone moving the Bible off the buffet at any time, after Callie put it there? Did you notice anything getting set on top of it, so that it might have gotten swept up with the trash? Did you help with the cleanup, after the party was over?

The answers were discouraging, for the most part. Everyone had seen the Bible displayed, and had handled it. They'd all seen Callie wrap it back up in its tissue paper covering and set it on the buffet. Everyone recalled that boxes and paper and ribbons and cards were stacked on the buffet, and the little Bible had been covered with things. And although Jennifer, Heather, Katy, Callie's mother and a couple of aunts or cousins had helped with the cleanup, no one remembered seeing the Bible. They did, however, remember Callie frantically digging through the trash later on.

Frank and Joe met back in the den when everyone had been questioned, for a quick comparing of facts.

"Anything?" Joe sat down in Mr. Shaw's desk chair, leaned back and crossed his legs.

"Well…I had one that made me a little wary," Frank admitted, frowning. "Callie's cousin, Katy."

"She's that blonde who never looks at anybody, right?"

"Yeah. Taller than Callie, younger by several years, same color hair. I saw she has blue eyes when she happened to look out the window, but other than that, I'd never have known. She's acting as gift-taker and receiver at the reception. Didn't ever look at me when I was talking to her."

"Maybe gift-taker translates into Bible-taker?" Joe hazarded.

"Maybe. Or maybe she's just shy and uncomfortable around all the college students – doesn't fit in because of the age difference. I don't think she and Callie are all that close; I think she got asked to be in the wedding party because of family obligations, and she probably knows it. That might sting a little. How about you?"

Joe grinned. "I don't mind not being in Callie's wedding party."

"Dang it, Joe, be serious!"

"Oh, give me a break!" Joe took his pages of notes from his pocket and spread them out on his lap. "I had one possible, Callie's friend Heather. She's not officially a member of the wedding party, just invited as a friend – of both bride and groom, apparently. She exhibited all those classic signs of lying, when I asked her about the Bible. She looked right, she looked left, then she'd meet my eyes straight on, then she'd glance away again. Tried to look casual, but it didn't wash." Joe frowned. "I'm maybe not the best judge of people, but…I dunno, bro, but my instincts say that even if Ms. Heather Patterson isn't a thief, she's a very unhappy young woman."

"Why would she be unhappy, I wonder," Frank mused. "Weddings are supposed to be fun, aren't they?"

"You got me." Joe shrugged. "From what I've observed, they don't seem very fun!"

"Well…" Frank got to his feet. "We can't talk to anyone else – except Liz and Vanessa, of course. Who knows, maybe one of them holds the key to the whole puzzle."

They left the den and found Callie, who told them that some others of her friends from school, who had been at the shower, were staying in New York City for the few days before the wedding, sightseeing, but they would be in Bayport within a day or two, and Frank and Joe could talk to them then. "I'll make sure they get in touch with you," she promised, "unless, of course, the Bible has turned up by then."

"And we'll check with Van and Liz Webling."

"Did you come up with…anything?"

"Well, not really anything concrete," Frank hedged. "Just…gut feelings, you know?"

"I trust your gut feelings." Callie smiled a little.

"We got funny vibes from your cousin Katy and from your friend Heather," Frank said gently. "Might not mean anything at all."

Callie sighed dejectedly. "I hate – I really, really hate – thinking that anyone in my family or these friends would have taken my Bible. But I also know that it didn't walk away by itself, and the chances of it getting tossed by accident are almost nil. So… Well, I'll talk to you both, later. Alone." Summoning a smile, she walked them to the front door and stood watching as the brothers headed for their car. As she did, Jonathan came up behind her and wrapped his arms about her.

The Hardys drove away, their last glimpse of Callie showing her with a happy smile on her face, despite her worries, glowing as only a bride-to-be in love can.

"I suppose we could check pawn shops…see if anything has turned up. Although an old Bible wouldn't bring much in the way of cash, and for that matter, why would it get pawned…?" Joe suggested, heading towards downtown Bayport instead of returning to their home.

"Okay. Or we could drop in on Liz at the _Gazette_. Hey, did you tell Vanessa we were doing this, when you saw her last night?"

Joe gave him a look of pure disdain. "You think I'd bring up the subject of a bridal shower? Gee, Frank - imagine this: you're out with the most gorgeous girl on the planet. You haven't seen her for several days. You're parked on the bluffs overlooking the Bay. Tell me, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?"


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

Thank you, Cherylann, Sarai and Max2013 for your reviews.

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 4

"Frank?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you suppose there's any chance that Callie's Bible just got tossed into the trash after all? Callie admitted that there was stuff lying all over it and around it. Maybe it did get overlooked when they went through the garbage later on. Maybe we're on nothing but a wild goose chase, here."

Frank frowned a little. "Getting overlooked once, when the things were first gathered up, I could believe. Getting overlooked twice, when they were actively searching for it…no, I can't see that happening." He shrugged. "At any rate, we told Callie we'd try to find it, so we have to at least make the attempt. And we can always go through the Shaws' trash again, as a last resort. I don't think their garbage pickup is until Wednesday. That gives us lots of time."

Joe made a face at that notion. "Let's stick with the plan of talking to Liz now," he said, "and Vanessa later on today."

So instead of searching out the town's pawnshops, they headed for the sprawling brick building which housed the _Bayport Gazette_. Once parked, they headed inside with Frank in the lead. Joe sauntered after, hands in his jeans pockets, and let Frank do the inquiring for Liz Webling. He wasn't in the least surprised when they were told that yes, Ms. Webling was in the building. He'd figured that Liz wouldn't let a little thing like it being Sunday get in her way. Nobody had ever been as relentless as Liz in the pursuit of a story, when they were in school. She was always fearless, nearly as fearless – some might say reckless – as he and Frank, when it came to solving a mystery.

But where he and Frank wanted to solve mysteries and crack cases to right wrongs and help others, Liz's fanaticism came from her determination to bust things open and expose them to the world, for good or ill. Often their techniques were similar, but the results were not always the same. Joe liked her – he'd even considered dating her, back in high school, and might have, if not for the presence of Don West – but he didn't always trust her. For Liz, the story had always come first.

He hoped she'd maybe mellowed over the past year. She'd been studying journalism at Princeton, and working at the _Gazette_ during breaks. That in itself was a surprise; she'd always had ties to the _Bayport Times_ before, but for some reason she'd applied for a job at the _Gazette_ , right out of high school, and seemed to have switched allegiances. Well, perhaps they'd made her a better offer.

"Joe, you coming?" Shaking off his abstraction, Joe looked up to see Frank heading for the bank of elevators, holding out a temporary visitor's badge to him as he went. Embarrassed at being caught woolgathering, Joe hurried after his brother and hastily pinned on the badge while they rode to the fourth floor.

Stepping out into a large open room, they spotted Liz standing beside a large humming copy machine, watching the pages settle into place. A pencil was tucked behind one ear, poking through the strands of her short, shiny blonde hair, and she was drumming her fingers impatiently on the top of the copier as she waited for her print job to be finished.

Frank moved forward. "Hey, Liz."

She turned, and her face lighted up in a friendly smile. "Well, hi there, you two. This is like old times! It's been ages since I've seen you!" The old, familiar insatiable curiosity sparkled in her hazel eyes as she left her work to greet them warmly. "What's up? I mean, I assume you didn't just drop in to say hello…?"

"Well, we're glad to see you, of course," Frank smiled, giving her a brief hug and stepping back to give Joe a turn. "But…no. Not just to say hello."

Liz's eyebrows elevated a notch. "In that case, let's go somewhere a little quieter. Linda…" she turned to a woman working at a nearby desk, "could you keep an eye on my print job and take it off when it's done? Thanks. Frank, Joe, come on in here." She led the way through a doorway in the corner of the room, entering a smaller room with fewer desks. Going to one of the desks, which was stacked high with books, manila folders, more loose papers and a laptop computer perched perilously close to the desk's edge, Liz snagged a couple of chairs from nearby for her visitors, then settled down in her own.

"So, what's up?" she invited. Her voice was casual and calm, but Joe wasn't fooled for a second. He'd seen her perk up at this unlooked-for visit, and knew she was hoping that the Hardys would provide her with news that might turn into a scoop. He leaned back in his chair, allowing Frank to conduct the interview. Knowing Frank, it would be a swift, all-business sort of conversation.

Frank surprised him.

"How do you like being in Callie's wedding?" was the first question asked, and Joe felt his eyes widen just a bit. Sternly, he suppressed the reaction.

Liz was surprised too, that was obvious. "Callie's…wedding?" she echoed blankly. "I – well, it's all right. I don't really know a lot of the people involved. She brought lots of friends with her from college."

"You and Vanessa sort of feel like outsiders, huh?" Frank said sympathetically. Joe studiously examined his fingernails, wondering what had possessed Frank.

"Well…" Liz laughed softly. "Not exactly outsiders, but…I'll admit it's odd. They all seem nice, though. And Callie's wedding is going to be lovely. She's got all the details planned to the _nth_ degree. I think she worked with a wedding planner."

"One little detail seems to have gone awry," Frank pointed out. "Did you see the family heirloom Bible she had at her bridal shower on Thursday night?"

"I saw it, yes…" Liz said uncertainly. "Is that the detail that's gone awry? What about it? I was the first to leave the party. Did something happen after I left?"

"It seems to have gone missing."

Her eyebrows went up again. "Missing? Callie's Bible? So that's what's got you two involved!"

Frank grinned deprecatingly. "She asked us to look into it…see if we could possibly locate it. So…we're looking. You saw it, Thursday night?"

"Yes, of course. She passed it around and I got to study it for a few minutes. I thought it was wonderful – a real link to the past! I wished I'd had more time to look at it. I loved all those names and inscriptions, going all the way back for a hundred years! I wish we had something like that in my family – maybe even a photo album, something like that. It's a lovely keepsake." She sighed. "All we have only goes back to my grandparents. Evidently the Weblings and my mom's side of the family, neither one were the sort to save photos and mementoes."

"Do you remember when you last saw Callie's Bible?"

Liz closed her eyes in thought, tilting her head back and meditatively tapping a pen against her chin. "Okay," she said after a few moments, opening her eyes. "I saw Callie put it on the left side of the buffet when we were done passing it around. At that point there wasn't anything on it – or rather, there were some dishes, things like that, decorative stuff, but nothing else that isn't always there. Later on, there were gift boxes and stacks of wrapping paper…maybe some ribbons." She once again shut her eyes, evidently visualizing the scene. Joe, aware of her almost eidetic memory, smiled a little, impressed.

"Partway through the gift-opening, someone set a largish box on top of it," Liz reported. "An empty box. A blonde girl put it there…Callie's cousin, I think it was. Katy Something. Katy Shaw?"

"It's Shaw," Frank confirmed. "Anything else?"

Liz shook her head. "As I said, I was the first to leave. Nobody had started actually cleaning up much, when I left. As far as I remember, the box was still sitting there – and there may have been others besides, by that time. There were lots of presents; we were running out of places to stack things."

"What was in the gift box originally, do you know?" Joe asked, suddenly wanting to be a part of this, rather than sitting silently like a ventriloquist's dummy and letting Frank ask all the questions.

"It was a large silver platter," Liz replied promptly. "From one of Callie's school friends. Absolutely gorgeous!"

"Which friend was it?" Joe pressed.

"Um…I think it was Heather. The one with dark hair. I only met her once, and barely talked to her, Joe – but I'm pretty sure she's the one who gave Callie the platter. Do you think it matters?"

"Sometimes, everything matters," Joe said innocently. Frank gave him an odd look, then shrugged.

"As Joe said, sometimes even the little details matter. Right now we're just trying to track down all the guests at the party to see what they remember, and after that we'll see what we can think of next, where to go from that point."

Liz nodded, then glanced at her watch. "Sorry guys, but I have to go. My copies are waiting for me! I'll walk you to the elevator." She got to her feet; Frank and Joe rose too.

"Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, Liz. We appreciate it." Joe gave her his best smile…well, second-best. He saved the best ones for Vanessa. "If we don't catch you before then, we're looking forward to seeing you all dolled up for the wedding."

She blushed, smiled and punched him lightly in the shoulder as the boys entered the elevator. "See you around."

Back in the car, they sat for a moment, considering what they'd learned.

"Do you think the box or the platter actually have anything to do with the Bible disappearing?" Joe inquired of his brother.

Frank shrugged. "Ah, I don't know. No stone unturned, and all that. Let's see what Vanessa can add to Liz's recollections before we go jumping to any conclusions. Are you going to call her or run out there and talk to her in person?"

Jim gave him a sunny smile. "Miss an excuse to see her in person? Heck no! I'll call first, but unless Van's got something going on that's keeping her busy, I'll probably run out there, yeah." He started the car and pulled onto the street, heading back towards home.

"Good. Well, you know what to ask." Frank leaned back in the passenger seat, evidently mulling over what Liz had told them.

After a few minutes of driving in silence, Joe spoke again. "You know…we never asked. Never thought to ask…what if someone doesn't like the idea of Callie and Jonathan getting married? What if someone is doing this as a way to stop the wedding? We never asked anybody if they noticed anyone or overheard anything that would lead them to think someone had a grudge against the bride or the groom!"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

 _Thank you very much, Cherylann and Max2013, for leaving feedback on Chapter 4._

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 5

Joe pulled his car into the driveway of the large stone house at the corner of Elm and High Streets, and parked, noting that his father's and mother's cars were both absent. He went inside, leaving Frank looking for something – who knew what – in his own car, and was mildly surprised to hear the television set in the family room on. With both Fenton and Laura absent, there were only a few other possibilities – since it was highly unlikely that someone had broken into their house merely to sit down and watch cable TV. The intruder proved to be a very pretty blonde.

"Hey, Tinkerbelle." Joe was pleased to see his cousin, and went over to the couch to give her a welcoming hair-ruffle. Bella had been in and out a lot lately, shuttling back and forth between Bayport and New York City, trying to organize things for Dani and Jack's wedding reception and rehearsal dinner while still keeping an eye on what was going on at Marco's. When in Bayport she naturally stayed with the Hardys, and possessed her own key to the house, so it wasn't unusual to find her popping in unannounced.

"Ack!" Bella ducked out from under Joe's teasing hand and gave him a mock-angry glare. "Fine way to say hello!"

"I thought so," he agreed blandly.

"Where's Frank?"

Before Joe could answer they both heard the back door open, then footsteps in the front hallway and on the stairs, followed by Frank's voice saying 'Hi, Baby! Miss me?" Evidently he was on the phone. Joe grinned. "You were saying?"

Bella shook her blonde curls. "Never mind."

"Speaking of significant others," Joe continued, still grinning, "when's Tony going to be in town?"

She eyed him archly. "Were we talking of significant others? I didn't hear Vanessa's name mentioned."

"Not my significant other, yours." Joe circled the couch and plopped down beside her. "I'd like to get together with him sometime – if you'll let him off the leash, that is!"

Bella socked him in the shoulder, just on general principles. "You're a fine one to talk! And I do not keep Tony on a leash! Anyway, he's coming out today – going to stay three days, and then go back. Maybe if you aren't too big a brat he'll make some time for you."

"Hey, I am not a brat!" Joe protested. "I'm a good boy. I eat my vegetables—"

"French fries don't count."

"I clean my room—"

"I've seen your room, Joe."

"Okay, I sometimes clean my room. When it needs it. I'm an exemplary citizen. I brush my teeth and shower regularly…"

Bella groaned. "Too. Much. Information. All right, you're not a brat. At least not all the time."

Joe smiled complacently, feeling he'd won this round in the ongoing battle of wits he and Bella shared.

"So, what were you and Frank out doing on a Sunday morning?" Bella asked now, curiously. "Chasing down some new mystery?"

"You might say that," Joe nodded. "Callie Shaw has had something go missing that she needs for her wedding, and she asked us to look into it for her."

Bella's eyebrows elevated. "Really?! Wow, what did she lose?"

"A little heirloom Bible she wants to carry with her bouquet. It disappeared at a bridal shower last Thursday night. We were over talking to the people at Callie's house, and then Liz Webling about it, as she attended the shower."

"And Callie asked you and Frank to find it…how's that make him feel, I wonder? After…everything." Delicately, Bella didn't put the whole odd situation into words.

"Frank doesn't mind that Callie's marrying someone else, Tink. I think he's glad she found someone else – since he definitely did!"

"I know, but it's still kind of weird."

"Speaking of looking for it, though, I have to call Vanessa – and then go out and see her. She was there too. At the shower, I mean."

"Oh, the things we do in the line of duty," Bella teased. "It's such a hardship for you, I can tell!"

"I do need to talk to her about it!" Joe protested.

Bella just gave him an impish smile. "Of course you do," she purred.

At that moment Frank came downstairs and entered the family room. He dropped onto the couch on the other side of Bella. "Joe, have you called Vanessa yet?"

"And hello to you, too," Bella said pointedly.

Frank absently patted her on the head. "Is there anything around for lunch?"

Bella shook her head and squirmed out from between her two cousins. "I am going out to the kitchen and see if I can find some sanity," she growled. "Since it seems to be lacking in here right now!" She flounced out of the room, but her exit was interrupted by the pealing of the front doorbell. "I'll get it!"

Sounds of the door being opened were followed by a delighted squeal of "TONY!" and then a suspicious silence. Frank and Joe looked at each other and grinned. There was an extended pause, then Tony and Bella entered the family room, hands clasped.

"Hey, Prito!" Joe was off the couch, hand extended to slap palms with the newcomer. "Good to see you!" Frank rose too, echoing the welcome. After a few moments they settled back down, Tony and Bella very close together on the couch, Frank in the recliner and Joe on the loveseat.

"So how're you doing?" Joe wanted to know, just as Frank asked "How long are you here for?"

Tony grinned. "I'm here until Wednesday," he answered Frank first, "and I'm doing fine, but I'm glad to get a break from Marco's. I need some relaxation and quiet."

"Enrico been edgy lately?" Joe grinned. He and Enrico, the head chef, had a history.

"No, but the owner's been on a tear – ouch!" Tony ducked away from Bella's small clenched fist. "Bad girl," he said reproachfully.

"You've come to the wrong place looking for peace and quiet, with two weddings pending," Joe advised. "Maybe you should go back to New York."

"I'm not involved in the weddings, _per se_ ," Tony retorted. "I'm going to spend time at my parents' and out on the _Napoli_ …with Bella," he added, smiling. "I'm just a guest at the weddings, after all. It's not like we're involved, except for the thing with Marco's, and that's being handled by others."

"Um…" Bella had turned a little pink. "Um…Dani asked me to be a candle lighter at her wedding, Tony. I have to get a dress to go with the bridesmaids' dresses, and I get a wrist corsage, and I'll have to attend the rehearsal now, and…"

"What? When did this happen, _cara_?"

Frank and Joe blinked, not having heard this latest development either.

"Yesterday."

"Well…okay…" Tony rallied valiantly. "That's great! You can come back to New York with me on Wednesday to get your dress, right?"

"And shoes…"

"And shoes, yes."

Bella beamed and bounced. "I knew you'd understand!" She leaned in to kiss his cheek. "But I think I might go earlier than Wednesday. It shouldn't take more than a few hours, and you have other things to do some of the time."

Joe rolled his eyes at his brother. "Soooooo whipped," he mouthed silently.

"I saw that, and you're a fine one to talk," Tony murmured. "Bella, _cara mia_ , what do you say we go check out the _Napoli_?" He rose, pulling her to her feet. "If she's shipshape, tomorrow or Tuesday we can go out on the Bay."

When Tony and Bella had departed, Joe picked up the phone to call Vanessa. To his pleased surprise she announced that she was having a peaceful day so far and she'd be more than happy to have him come out to the Benders' farmhouse.

" _Have you had lunch?"_ she asked, before they ended the call.

"No," Joe admitted.

" _Mom's making sandwiches right now. I'll tell her to make extra. See you soon!"_

#####

"So, what do you think?" Vanessa entered the kitchen modeling a pink and white fabric headband liberally studded with crystal beads. "This goes with my dress for Callie's wedding. There's still some alterations being done on the dress, but at least I got to bring home the headband."

Andrea looked up from her sandwich preparations and smiled. She surveyed her tall daughter with loving eyes. Vanessa's long ash-blonde hair was held back from her face by the band and fell smoothly down over her shoulders. "It's beautiful, kiddo. I'll admit, I never thought Callie would be one to choose pink for her wedding color, but it's very becoming."

"I think she chose pink because there's such a lot of blondes in the wedding party," Vanessa chuckled. "Her, me, Liz, her cousin Katy…I think the only one with brown hair is Jennifer, the maid of honor, and her hair's light brown, not dark brunette."

"I'm anxious to see your dress."

"Those dresses are a marvel of ingenuity. We're all such different heights and sizes, and somehow they found something that looks decent on everyone. Oh – Joe's coming over; will you make some more sandwiches?"

"Sure, honey. Have you seen Callie's wedding dress?" Andrea laid out more bread and started buttering it.

"Yes, and she looks like a princess in it. But she's being quite secretive about it," Vanessa replied, smiling. "She wants it to be a surprise, at least to the guests and to Jonathan."

"Well," Andrea nodded, "you only get to make that first impression once on a groom, after all."

"She looks really beautiful," Vanessa mused. She sounded a little wistful. "It's going to be a beautiful wedding." She removed the headband and turned to go back upstairs. "I'd better put this away."

When Vanessa returned to the kitchen after depositing the headband carefully on her bed, she and Andrea went ahead and ate lunch, since Joe hadn't yet arrived, and continued to talk wedding apparel.

"What's your dress like for Dani's wedding, and when do you get to bring that home?"

"Long, shirred Empire waist, almost strapless but not quite, in a light green called Apple Slice. Simple enough that the shorter girls – Megan, that is – can wear it without being overwhelmed. We had one fitting a couple days ago, and we'll have another, probably the final one, after Callie's wedding."

Andrea smiled sympathetically. "Having a hard time juggling two weddings at once?"

"Not really. Not so far. But I'll be glad when Callie's is over and I can just concentrate on Dani's." Vanessa glanced around the kitchen. "Where's Thistle? Is he outside?"

"No, he's somewhere in the house. Not sure where. Why?"

Vanessa got to her feet, a feeling of dread washing over her. "Because I set that headband on my bed. I thought he was out…" She hurried for the stairs. Andrea waited, and a moment later heard her daughter's outraged shout: 'THISTLE! BAD KITTY! BAD, BAD!"

The big white cat stared complacently up at his irate mistress, still clutching the prize he had found on her bed. His golden eyes glowed with satisfaction.

Vanessa snatched her headband away from Thistle's possessive claws and smacked him sharply on the rump. 'BAD cat!" she fumed. Startled, he leaped off the bed and scuttled out into the hallway, where he glared back at her. Clearly, his look said _If you didn't want me to play with it, you shouldn't have left it there._

"What did he do?" Andrea came up the stairs.

"He pulled some of the beads off!" Vanessa snarled. "And I think he ATE some!"

"Oh dear…" Andrea looked on the bedspread and the floor. "Maybe not, honey; maybe he just bit them off and didn't swallow them."

"Now I'll have to call Callie and tell her I need the band repaired or replaced," Vanessa sighed. She was about to do so when a glance out of the window revealed Joe's silver BMW being parked next to her Jeep. "Oh, here's Joe!" She put the headband into a bureau drawer and hurried down the stairs, yanking the front door open just as Joe raised his hand to knock.

"Hey, beautiful," he greeted cheerfully – and then sobered, seeing her distressed expression. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Thistle problems," she admitted, drawing him inside. "Hello. I'm so glad you're here."

"Hello," he echoed, and pulled her into his arms for a warm hug and kiss. "Thistle, as in…plant?"

"Thistle, as in cat." She led the way to the kitchen. "Here, I told you there would be some extra sandwiches for you." Joe greeted Andrea, who had by now come downstairs, and he and Vanessa gathered up the remains of lunch and took the food outside again, where they settled into the porch swing.

"I'm glad you came," Vanessa repeated with a sigh.

"Well…" Joe chewed a bite of sandwich. "I admit, I have an ulterior motive, but I'd have come anyway."

"What's the ulterior motive?"

"I need to ask you about Callie's bridal shower," Joe grinned and took another bite.

She stared at him in amazement. "Now that's something I never thought I'd hear you say! What in the world do you have to do with Callie's bridal shower?"

"Do you remember seeing a little Bible there?" he asked in turn, after swallowing.

"Sure – it's an heirloom and she's going to carry it at the wedding," Vanessa confirmed. "We all got to look at it on Thursday night. It was so sweet. There's a cameo pin in my family that's come down through six generations like that, and girls wear it for their weddings; Mom has it now. But you can't write inscriptions and names and dates on a cameo pin like are in Callie's Bible."

"Well, it's disappeared."

"Disappeared!? The Bible? Oh no! Does she think someone took it, or something?"

"No, she thinks it's lost. She asked Frank and me to try and locate it."

Vanessa shook her head. "Good luck."

"When do you remember seeing it last?"

She frowned in thought. "I had it and looked at it…let's see. I passed it to Liz. She passed it to…to Chet's mom, Mrs. Morton. And Mrs. Morton handed it to Mrs. Hooper. Eventually it got back around the circle to Callie, and Callie set it on the buffet." She shook her head. "After that, Callie started opening gifts, and I never saw it again. Not that I was paying attention to it."

"This is going to sound odd, Babe…but did you happen to hear anybody say anything well…mean…about Callie? Anybody sound like they weren't happy about her marrying Jonathan, something like that?"

She eyed him. "You're not thinking it's just lost, are you? Well…" She frowned a little. "Okay, this may or may not mean anything, because I don't know how maliciously it was meant. Callie's cousin, Katy, was moping around the whole time. I heard her muttering something to her mother about how she didn't see what Jonathan saw in Callie anyway, and he should get a brain and find someone better. And that she couldn't understand why people were making such a fuss over Callie and her stupid wedding."

Joe raised an eyebrow. "Whoa."

"Look, it might not mean a thing, you know? Katy's fifteen and I don't think she's enjoying being in the wedding. It's probably just teenage-girl angst. She likely doesn't realize how pretty she is – she's really very lovely – and after all, we're all older than she is and she doesn't know anyone very well. I got the feeling Callie asked her to participate out of family loyalty. And for all I know, maybe she and Callie have a history of not getting along, or something."

"But maybe, if she's unhappy about being in the wedding, she might have taken the Bible just to hurt Callie's feelings and spoil things," Joe mused.

"Maybe," Vanessa agreed. "But don't take my word as gospel. I barely know the girl. She's just taking gifts, after all, and isn't a bridesmaid. Her little sister Madison is the flower girl."

"Well…" Joe sighed. "I'm not saying we'll pounce on her and demand answers, but we should probably mention it to Callie and see what she wants to do. Maybe Katy took it and hid it somewhere, in which case we ought to be able to track it down. Maybe she took it and threw it away in a fit of temper. I know Callie and her friends looked through the trash after she couldn't find the Bible, on Thursday night, but it should be done again, more thoroughly." He set his empty sandwich plate down on the porch floor and stretched an arm behind his girlfriend's shoulders. "Thanks, Babe. Now that business is out of the way, let's do something more fun – what would suit you?"

"I'd like to – oh drat, I have to call Callie first."

"Huh? Why?"

"I have to tell her about what Thistle did – he got hold of my bridesmaid headband and chewed some of the beads off! Look, I'll show you." She hurried inside, dashed up the stairs and back down again, thrusting the small adornment into Joe's hands. "See what he did?! It's ruined! I'll be right back." She went back inside to make her phone call.

Joe turned the headband over and over, inspecting it carefully. It sure didn't look like there was anything wrong with it to _him_. It looked like there were plenty of beads stuck on it. What was the problem?

Thistle wandered onto the porch, and stared hard at the object in Joe's hand, then leaped onto the swing. Realizing the danger, Joe slid the headband into his pocket, then took Thistle into his lap and began stroking him.

"Thistle, I love her like crazy," he told the big white cat, "but there are some days I just don't understand her at all!"


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

Thank you to Cherylann and Max2013 for the feedback.

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 6

"What are you thinking about so hard, Mom?" Callie came up behind her mother and gave her a peck on the cheek, rousing Moira Shaw from her reflective memories. "You almost look…sad."

"Not sad at all," Moira denied, pulling her daughter into a hug. "Well…just a little," she amended. "I was thinking about how fast time has gone by and wondering where it all went. Where's that little girl of mine who used to run around climbing trees and playing with her dolls in tree forts instead of dollhouses."

Callie laughed softly, settling herself beside her mother on the loveseat. "She's still here – inside. She's just got a grownup layer over the top. I could still climb a tree if I had to!"

"I still remember the time you came in from playing outside and announced that a squirrel took one of your doll's eyes," reminisced blonde Mrs. Shaw. "Some little girls would have been upset and crying, but you were more annoyed and put out. You seemed to think that a squirrel should have had better sense!"

"I remember that too. I had my two favorite dolls in the tree house with me, Maggie and Grace. We were eating nuts and drinking lemonade, and a squirrel had been hanging around hoping to get some of the nuts." She chuckled. "And he was right; I fed him, of course. Then he apparently got impatient, and he took a swipe at Grace. Remember, Mom, she was stuffed cloth, with beady eyes? He clawed off one of her eyes and made off with it. I tried to chase him, but you can't exactly compete with a squirrel in a tree!"

Moira shuddered. "It's a wonder you didn't fall and kill yourself!"

"Well, he did go down to the ground after awhile, and went to bury it under some bushes. I followed him and yelled at him to come out, that Grace's eye wasn't a nut and he was being stupid…but he didn't." Callie laughed again, recalling the incident. "For all I know Grace's eye is still there somewhere under the hydrangea bush."

"Well, that's what I was doing, thinking about how you're all grown up now and getting married in a few days." Mrs. Shaw smiled and sighed. "I think most of Bayport assumed you and Frank Hardy were going to make a match of it, you know. You surprised a lot of people when you brought Jonathan home."

Callie shrugged. "I think I knew – we both knew – that a breakup was going to happen eventually. Frank and I went together so long that everyone assumed it was a done deal, but when I went to Colorado it was like a whole new world. And it suited me. Meeting Jonathan – and the rest of my friends – was icing on the cake, so to speak."

Moira nodded. "Your dad and I like Jonathan very much, honey. He's a fine young man, and he looks to be treating you right. And he's not always dashing off hither and yon like Frank did…and you wanting to follow along after him!"

Callie flushed. "I think I just didn't like being left out of things," she admitted. "And I wanted to be first in Frank's mind and heart, and that didn't always happen. He had mysteries to solve, and of course, he has Joe to look out for. Now Jonathan and I do a lot of things together…and I know I come first, to him. When I met him and we started going around together I realized I'd found someone to give me what I'd been missing, with Frank." She smiled, her embarrassment fading. "Frank and I both grew up. I found Jonathan, and he found Megan – and believe me, from what I've seen, she definitely comes first in his mind and heart, always! So it all worked out."

"It's nice of him and Joe to help look for that Bible."

"Yes, it is. They've both been as nice as they can be about it, and I appreciate them trying to help me have a happy wedding day."

Moira was about to say something more when she caught sight of her oldest niece, Katy, slouching through the hallway, evidently going towards the stairs. Her lips tightened briefly. Katy was being a – well, not exactly a thorn in her side, but – an annoyance, at any rate. She alternated between moping about, refusing to talk to anyone, and complaining bitterly over everything; she didn't like her dress, she didn't like being away from her friends, she didn't like the various activities Callie had organized for all her college friends, and she certainly didn't seem to like any of the wedding prep events like bridal showers, rehearsals, fittings, decorating…!

It made Moira glad that she had had only one child, and that Callie had been for the most part an agreeable young woman. She wondered what was ailing Katy, that made her so petulant and cranky. Wouldn't most young girls have delighted in being part of a fancy wedding? Katy was pretty, and if she ever stopped being so disagreeable, she would have been fun to have around.

Dismissing Katy from her mind, Mrs. Shaw turned back to Callie. "Have you heard anything more from Frank or Joe about how their search is going?"

"No, but after all, Mom, I just asked them this morning! I guess we have to give even the Hardys a little time," Callie reminded her with a chuckle. Her face lit up as a door opened and shut and firm footsteps heralded someone's approach. "There's Jonathan," she said happily, and raised a glowing face to be kissed as the big young man entered the room and leaned over the loveseat. He wrapped his arms about her in an extended hug.

"I can see I'm a third wheel here," Mrs. Shaw teased, and got up, vacating the seat beside Callie just as the telephone rang. "I'll get it… Shaw residence," she said into the phone.

" _Hi, Mrs. Shaw, this is Vanessa. Uh…is Callie around?"_

Moira smiled; she was very fond of Vanessa, who had been a good friend to Callie in the past, although she noted that Vanessa didn't sound very happy, right at the moment. "She's right here, dear; hold on." She handed the phone to Callie. "It's Vanessa."

"Hello? Vanessa? Hi, what's up?" Callie was pleased to hear from her old friend. She listened to Vanessa speak – a long, involved explanation, it sounded like, from what Moira could tell, and then laughed. "Van – Van, don't worry about it! Bring it over when you can, and we'll look at it. It's very possible it can be salvaged, and if it can't, we'll get it replaced before Saturday! Don't feel bad – things like that happen."

When Callie hung up she was still chuckling. Both Mrs. Shaw and Jonathan demanded to know what had transpired. "Vanessa's cat, Thistle, evidently took a liking to the crystal beads on her bridesmaid headband, and ate some of them off," she reported. "Vanessa felt really bad about it, but it's no big deal, really."

Mrs. Shaw, who had anticipated something much more dire, sighed with relief. In the grand scheme of things wedding-related, a cat-savaged headband was pretty small.

Callie was still laughing. "I hope if Thistle did eat some of the beads it doesn't upset his tummy."

"I hope Vanessa keeps her dress away from him!" Moira said tartly.

The phone rang again, and Moira reached to answer it, mentally wishing for the good old quiet days when Callie had been away at school. "Shaws."

" _Mrs. Shaw, this is Frank Hardy. Might I speak with Callie, please?"_

Well, polite as ever, and from seeing him earlier in the day, Moira knew Frank was as handsome as ever, too! "Yes, just a moment, Frank." She turned to Callie. "Here. It's Frank," she announced, somewhat unnecessarily.

Callie took the phone, and her side of the conversation was particularly unenlightening to the curious Moira. She said "Uh-huh," a few times, and "Yes," and "Okay," and then a dubious-sounding "Well, I suppose we could." It was all quite cryptic, and Moira wondered what on earth Frank had found out, and what he wanted Callie to do!

Finally Callie said thank you, and told Frank that she'd take care of it – whatever 'it' might be – and she'd let him know later that evening what they found, if anything. She said goodbye, hung up, and turned to Jonathan.

"Dearest…" She smiled sweetly, a smile that Jonathan knew from experience meant she was going to ask him to do something. He waited expectantly. "Frank asked if we could search again through all the garbage from Thursday night and make sure the Bible isn't there, because we might have overlooked it before. Do you think you – you and Steve, maybe – could do that for me? Pretty please with sugar on it?"

Jonathan frowned a little. "Let me get this straight. Your ex-boyfriend called and wants me to look through your trash?"

Callie's smile didn't falter. "No, I want you to look through my trash. And I didn't mean the garbage cans – just the recycling bin! I'm pretty sure the Bible didn't get tossed into the garbage can."

"You're sure about this." Jonathan still sounded hesitant.

"Well, it really can't hurt…if you don't mind." There was that smile again.

He sighed, in the manner of any man who knows he's stuck doing something that he won't enjoy, at the behest of his wife – or fiancée. "I'll go round up Steve."

Alone with her daughter again, Mrs. Shaw gave Callie a knowing look. "If it wasn't less than a week before the wedding, you might not have gotten away with that one," she commented.

Callie winked. "I know. Gotta use that power while I can!" Her smile faded a little. "Mom, Frank said something else." She walked to the door of the living room and closed it, firmly. "This doesn't need to be overheard by anyone else," she said, returning to her mother. "Apparently Katy was overheard – by Vanessa, and who knows who else – making some rather nasty remarks, about me, and about the wedding in general. She doesn't think much of Jonathan for not finding someone better to marry, and she's unhappy being here and having to take part in my wedding." Despite her efforts at control, Callie's voice shook a little. She didn't like having such active dislike aimed in her direction, especially from someone in her family. "The guys are wondering if Katy might have taken the Bible…just because."

"Oh dear. Well, I have to admit I've noticed how unhappy Katy is, although I wouldn't have suspected her of doing anything like that. But how can we be sure? She's had opportunity to take the Bible, certainly, but would she have kept it, or would she simply have thrown it away? It would have no personal meaning for her, after all. It's from my side of the family, not the Shaw side."

"I don't understand why she's got this hatred of me, though." Callie's pretty face clouded over. "I thought she'd like to be in my wedding! I could have asked Heather to take gifts instead of Katy, but I was trying to include family…" Her chin firmed. "Well, she better not have thrown it out, if she did take it! And I'm getting tired of her attitude." A wicked smile crossed her face. "Maybe I ought to request that Katy help Jonathan and Steve sort through the trash!"

"Callie Nicole, shame on you." Despite her words, Mrs. Shaw looked like she was trying not to laugh. "You don't know that she had anything to do with the Bible disappearing, so don't go punishing her for no reason." She sighed. "I suppose I ought to talk to her mother, although that will certainly be a delicate conversation to pick through! Well, I don't have to say anything about the Bible. I can just try to find out why she's so…what her feelings are. About the wedding and…about you."

"Thanks, Mom." Callie was glad to have the mess taken out of her hands, at least temporarily.

Once Moira had departed, Callie stood in the relative silence and wondered, not for the first time, why she had ever come up with the idea for this elaborate 'house party' right before her wedding! Looking back, she now realized that it would have been much better just to have everyone from out of town show up a couple _days_ before the wedding, not two weeks. Ever since all her company had arrived it had been a madhouse here. College girlfriends either staying here or in a nearby hotel, popping in to visit. Steve and Jonathan staying here, and for the past few days, Cousin Katy as well. Callie felt like she never had a second to relax; she was always being the 'hostess' and was always responsible for her guests' wellbeing. There were things like the shower, and other parties and get-togethers to keep them entertained. Add in dress fittings, meetings and conversations with florists, caterers, musicians, cake decorators, the minister, walk-throughs with the people from The Gardens at Bellewood, where the wedding ceremony was to be held… She appreciated a few quiet moments just to relax and try to catch her breath!

It was just a few minutes' respite. Now she had to go and see how Steve and Jonathan were getting along in their assigned task. Poor guys! Callie resolutely marched to the garage.

Jonathan and Steve were diligently going through the contents of the big blue recycling bin, and there was a lot to be sorted over. The bridal shower had supplied a multitude of wrapping paper, ribbons and cardboard boxes, and that was added to the usual two-weeks' worth of 'regular' recycling like newspapers, junk mail, plastic, tin cans and cardboard. It made for an enormous amount of junk The guys had tipped the container on its side, and Jonathan was crawling half inside, dragging out boxes and wrapping paper and other things, and shaking each item out assiduously. Steve was packing them back up and setting them to the side, prior to stuffing them back in, once the bin was empty.

"Hi, how's it going?" Callie knelt down beside Jonathan and put her arm around his neck, pulling him close to kiss his cheek.

"No Bible so far," he replied, "but I did find a gift card that got tossed by accident!" He fished in a pocket, pulled out the gift card and handed it to her.

"Oh my, I'm so glad you found it!" She kissed him again. "Things like that are so small, and it would have been gone forever."

Callie stayed and watched – 'kibitzed,' as Steve put it, although she did help some, until the big bin was completely empty. No Bible was found. Disheartened, she gloomily observed the two young men replace all the recyclables and tip the bin back on its wheels. _I wonder where Katy might have put it? I don't want to suspect her, but she's the obvious one – who else would have wanted to spoil my wedding? Certainly not Jenn or Heather, or the other girls from college, not any of Mom's friends or Aunt Pam, and not Liz or Vanessa! Katy's the logical choice, but…_ "Drat," she murmured.

"Hey, you." Jonathan bent down to lay his cheek against Callie's blonde hair. "Don't feel so bad. We tried."

"I know – and I appreciate it," she smiled.

"Now what?" Steve leaned against the blue bin, arms folded across his chest and a frown on his dark face.

Callie shook her head. "Now I'm not sure," she admitted. "Plan B or C, I guess. C'mon, let's get you two cleaned up and see what Mom's got planned for supper. I don't know when Heather and Jennifer are going to be back from the mall, but I know you two need to eat!"

Jonathan slung his arm about her shoulders and bent over to kiss her again as they went into the house. "Callie, babe," he murmured, "We can get married without that Bible, remember?"

She nodded, feeling a happy smile break over her face despite her worry over the missing heirloom. Jonathan was right. "We sure can – and we will." She wrapped her arm about his waist, cuddling into his comforting embrace.

Steve followed them, still frowning a little. "Just what," he asked, "is Plan B?"


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

Thank you to Cherylann, Max2013 and Sarai for the comments. Always appreciated.

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 7

Laura Hardy fixed herself a cup of tea and leaned against the kitchen counter, smilingly observing her eldest son. Having come in from a date with Megan, Frank had settled at the kitchen table with a bowl of cold cereal and milk. He was staring at the tabletop as he ate, looking contemplative and thoughtful, as if he was trying to work out a puzzle and not succeeding very well.

Laura wondered if he was thinking about the Callie Shaw-missing Bible situation, or some other problem that he felt needed solving. No telling! She shook her head just slightly, feeling very grateful that nothing seemed to dampen her sons' spirits for long; they managed to remain curious and wholly themselves, despite brushes with kidnappers, felons, misguided ghosts, or erupting volcanoes. Frank might have experienced occasional nightmares after his ordeal in Hawaii, but he'd evidently worked through the events in his mind and released them in whatever way worked for him, for his sleep seemed untroubled nowadays.

Frank raised his eyes from the tabletop to meet hers for a moment, and Laura smiled at him. "What're you thinking about, Mom?" He got up and went to the sink to rinse off his bowl and spoon and put them in the dishwasher.

"I'm indulging myself in a favorite activity," she teased gently. "Son-watching. Other than that, I wasn't thinking about anything in particular."

Frank laughed. "Is that kind of like bird-watching? You watch them eat, you watch me eat…?" His brown eyes lighted with warmth and he leaned to give her a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to leave the kitchen.

Before he could make his escape Laura spoke. "Did you and Megan have a good time tonight?"

He turned back, a smile of ineffable tenderness on his face…the same expression he nearly always wore when he thought or spoke of the young woman to whom he'd given a promise ring. "We always have a good time. We didn't go out anywhere, we just watched an old movie on television and decided to call it an early night. Nothing special. I think I'm gonna head up to bed now – goodnight, Mom."

"Goodnight, honey." Laura watched her eldest depart, still smiling. With all the recent wedding activity going on, she couldn't help wondering if she and Carolyn Wright might be working together to plan a wedding themselves – a wedding for Frank and Megan! _Of course, they aren't engaged yet – they're still awfully young for that big a step, just like Callie and her young man are – but still…_ _Once the wedding bug bites…_ It was a good thing Frank didn't come back and ask what she was thinking about just now!

Upstairs in his room, Frank closed the door, laid his cell phone on top of the bureau, and went to turn on his computer. As it booted up he heard the cell phone's distinctive chime, and rolled his eyes, wishing he'd left it in his pocket! He got up and retrieved it. "Hello?"

" _Frank? It's Callie. Sorry to call so late, but I wanted to let you know what we found – or rather, didn't find."_

Frank felt himself smiling as he heard his former girlfriend's voice – because old habits died hard, and besides, he and Callie still had friendship and affection between them, if not love. "What did you find?"

" _Well, Jonathan discovered a gift card that got accidentally tossed…"_ she laughed, then went on, more seriously. _"Jonathan and Steve searched through the whole recycling bin, piece by piece That's where all the trash from the shower ended up, because it was all wrapping paper and envelopes and ribbons and boxes and gift bags. They didn't find the Bible, and I'm sure they would have if it was there._ "

"Just the recycling? Not the garbage?"

" _I didn't think it was necessary to rummage through the paper plates that the food and cake were on. They weren't anywhere except the dining table and the end tables, and I don't think any were even set on the buffet. It was too full of other stuff. And I know I put the Bible on the buffet deliberately, to keep it away from the food!"_

"You're probably right about that, it wasn't necessary. Joe and I both realized that idea might be a bust, but we wanted to make sure nothing was overlooked." He couldn't help smiling a little as he asked, "how did Jonathan and Steve feel about sorting through the trash?" He could hear the amusement in Callie's voice as she replied.

" _As long as it was_ _me_ _asking and not you, they were okay with it,"_ she said demurely.

"What, they don't like me?" Frank teased.

" _They like you fine – but they don't like you enough to dissect a recycling bin on your suggestion!"_

Frank laughed. "I see their point."

" _I talked to Mom, too. About Katy, I mean. She said she'd talk to Aunt Pam – that's Katy's mother – and see if they could suss out whatever Katy's thinking or feeling…about me and about the wedding in particular."_

Frank made a sound of agreement, letting Callie talk without too much input from him.

" _I really hate to think that Katy might have had anything to do with any of this – the disappearance of the Bible – but again, I'm getting a little upset that anyone was so mean as to take it, knowing how much it means to me – how important a part of the wedding it is!"_ She sighed. _"I'm having to constantly bite my tongue to keep from lashing out and screaming at people – relatives and college friends both! And that's not a very good way to be."_

"I know you're worried. Anything – anyone – help?"

Her voice warmed. _"Jonathan helps. He gives me unconditional love – and great shoulder massages. And he's trying so hard to keep me relaxed and not worried about it. And as he said, we_ _can_ _get married without it – and he's right, of course, and that's the most important thing."_

"You know, Callie, we might have to consider searching the whole house in detail. I mean, if the Bible hasn't been tossed by…whoever…it could be hidden somewhere in the house."

" _I really hope it doesn't come to that – but I'll keep it in mind for later. Especially if we find any evidence that it might be here somewhere. But that would be an absolutely monumental job, Frank!"_

"I know. I hope it doesn't come to that. I'll talk to Joe later, when he gets home—" Even as Frank spoke he heard the front door slam hard, and then Laura's voice raised in protest, and knew that Joe had arrived home. Evidently he'd be talking to him sooner than anticipated. "And I'll probably call tomorrow – but let me know what, if anything, your mom finds out about Katy."

" _I will,"_ Callie promised. _"Thanks again for the help. 'Bye, Frank."_

Ending the call, Frank went to the door of his room and opened it to see Joe ascending the stairs looking quite pleased with himself. "What was with the door, Conan?"

"I had my hands full," Joe explained. "I brought home ice cream from Fancy Face Treats for everybody, and I had to kick the door shut. I guess I kicked it harder than I thought."

"Ice cream from Fancy Face? No wonder I didn't hear any more yelling from Mom." Intrigued, Frank headed for the stairs to scope out the situation in the kitchen. Joe, laughing, went into his room.

"Ice cream? Did someone say gourmet ice cream?" Bella's tousled blonde head popped out of the door of the guest room. She looked as if she'd just waked up, and was pulling a short bathrobe on over summer pajamas. Without waiting for a reply she darted barefoot down the stairs.

Frank found his mother leaning on the kitchen counter already eating her ice cream – crushed Oreo cookies mixed into soft-serve vanilla – and hastened to grab one of the cups for himself, despite the fact that he'd finished a bowl of cold cereal not fifteen minutes before. Bella arrived and perched on the kitchen table to attack hers. Fenton, alerted by the commotion, emerged from his office and secured his, leaving the last one for Joe, who descended the stairs a few moments later, having changed into shorts and a T-shirt.

Ah, a warm summer evening and specialty ice cream – what more could one ask?!

#####

"Hey, Frank, Joe." Jack Wayne looked up from his computer as the Hardy brothers entered the office of Wayne's World on Monday morning. He paused in his typing and handed Frank a page lying in the printer tray.

"Morning, Jack." Frank took the printout and glanced at it briefly.

"Hi, Frank; hi, Joe." April appeared from the direction of the hangar. She punched Joe lightly on the shoulder as she walked by. "Ready for a busy day of flying and mayhem?"

"Hiya, kiddo." Joe reached to tug her caramel-colored ponytail.

"More flying, less mayhem," Jack cut in firmly. "We've got a pretty packed day. Joe, we have a cargo due to arrive in about fifteen minutes that needs to be readied for when I get back from my first run. In theory it should be just cartons to load, but check it for secure packaging, please. April, you'll need to do a quick turn-around as well; we've both got double flights today. Frank, Jason's still loading your plane. You won't need to leave for another hour or so, but you're going to mid-state New York, so you'll be gone most of the day."

"Yassuh, Massah." Joe trudged off to give Jason a hand loading Frank's plane.

Frank studied his printout closely. Okay, no foreseeable problems. He was flying to a small airport where he'd been previously, and as always, Jack was good about including flight plans when he assigned flights. The weather looked great. Good enough. He turned and jogged back to his car, retrieving the small backpack containing bottles of water and his lunch, then tossed it into the cockpit of 'his' plane.

April, her craft evidently already loaded and ready, held out her hand for her flight assignments, and Jack handed her the printouts. She folded them into a pocket and disappeared briefly in the direction of the restroom.

"How's Dani?" Frank inquired. "Talked to her lately, or is she busy saving Bayport from being turned into a pile of ashes?"

Jack chuckled. "I talked to her last night for awhile, and she's fine. There haven't been any major fires this weekend – two car fires and a couple of kitchen fires and one barbecue grill that set some bushes alight, but nothing else. She sounded more bored than anything else." Jack shook his head, grinning. "So she's had time to think about wedding details."

"And…?"

"She launched into this big debate about cummerbunds versus vests and knotted ties versus bow ties."

"And what did you decide on?" Frank asked the question as politely as he could, but he was almost dead certain this had already been hashed out at a prior time. Of course that didn't mean Dani might not have changed her mind.

"Cummerbunds and bow ties," Jack said. "Very sharp. Some of the vests they make for tuxes are hideous, so I'm really glad we're not having to wear them, plus they'd be hotter than Hades if the weather's warm. Besides, we can do cummerbunds in the colors Dani chose – that Apple Slice thing, which looks like light green to me. Why can't they just call it light green, anyway?"

"You're asking me?"

"It was a rhetorical question."

"Well, green looks super on Megan. And everything seems to look good on Vanessa."

"Sure does!" Joe yelled, apparently managing to eavesdrop on the conversation as well as helping Jason shift boxes.

"And…?" April appeared out of nowhere and stared at Frank and her brother, tapping her foot.

"And Apple Slice green looks great on you, too, sis," Jack assured her, hastily echoed by both the Hardys.

She smiled, mollified, and waved goodbye. A few moments later her plane's engines fired, and the men were unable to talk as she taxied out of the hangar and disappeared down the tarmac, heading for her takeoff runway.

"Anyway, you were saying?" Frank asked Jack, when they could hear themselves speak again.

"Oh – flowers. She was talking about flowers, too. Boutonnieres."

"What are they like?" Frank grinned. He rather enjoyed razzing Jack about all these wedding details. Sometimes Jack's eyes would cross in the most interesting way…

"They're white. Step…steff…stephanotis, whatever that is. It looks pretty, and Dani says it smells good. She showed me a picture of them the other day, when she was still trying to decide."

"Sounds like everything's falling into place."

Jack's eyes didn't cross, but they rolled eloquently. "Well, yeah, but then, with April coordinating things, how could they not be? That girl should give up piloting and be a wedding planner! She's like a drill sergeant!" He smiled ruefully. "Please note I didn't say this until after she left."

Frank nodded, still grinning. He himself tried to be a good boy in these matters, so he hadn't gotten the benefit of the sharp edge of April's tongue much, but he'd heard her light into others.

Jack pulled out his own itineraries for the day and scanned them one last time. "I'd better get going. Good flying, Frank; see you later."

"Bye, Jack."

After Jack's departure Joe stepped closer to his brother. "Some days," he began, "I think Jack's an extraordinarily lucky man. And sometimes I think Dani's an extremely lucky woman. Which do you think it is?"

Frank, who had started for his plane to run his preflight checks, stopped and turned back, considering the question. "I dunno," he answered at last. "I guess I think they're both lucky."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

Thank you for the feedback commentary!

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 8

"Hello, sweetheart." Jack Wayne leaned against his airplane as he spoke into his cell phone, rejoicing in the fact that he was once again hearing his fiancée's voice. True, they'd chatted on the phone on Sunday night, but that had been over 40 hours ago! He'd learned that unless it was something fairly important, Dani didn't appreciate being called at work. Although she might _enjoy_ him calling just to say he loved her and missed her, she didn't really _approve_ of it, unless he had other reasons for calling as well. Besides, her co-workers, as she put it, got on her case when they knew Jack was on the phone. Jack had often heard the whistles and teasing comments in the background when they talked.

He wished he was geographically closer to Dani at the moment – in Bayport, for instance – instead of nearly 200 miles away. At least he'd be returning soon, and he could imagine the warm welcome he'd receive when he got home.

" _Hello, lover."_ Dani's voice poured over her listener like warm honey – that voice one aspect of her that Jack had fallen in love with practically the first time they met. Not only was she beautiful, smart, tough and sassy, she had the sexiest voice on the planet, as far as he was concerned. _"How was your flight? And where are you?"_

"Typical," Jack grunted, craning his neck to observe the two men loading boxes onto the plane. "And I'm in Harrisburg, the Happening Place of Pennsylvania."

" _You can tell that just from the airport, hmmm?"_ Dani teased.

"Oh yeah, the joint's just busting out with excitement. State capitals are like that, you know."

" _What in the world are you doing in Pennsylvania, anyway,"_ she wondered, then. _"Isn't that a little off your beaten track?"_

"Well, I'd schedule flights here if there was a call for it – but you're right; we usually don't. One of my regulars had a drop-off here, and they were willing to pay a nice fat fee for me to pick it up. I'll be back in Bayport in about three hours – less, if I get a good tailwind."

" _I've missed you,"_ Dani said wistfully. _"I can't wait for you to get back."_

"I've missed you too," he replied softly.

" _Well—"_ she sounded more cheerful when she spoke again, _"at least we can't get bored with each other, with these schedules! Have you talked to April about any more of the wedding plans, since we talked Sunday night?"_

"Yeah, she made me sit down and give her all the details, since she hadn't had a chance to chat with you herself. So now she knows all about the Apple Slice cummerbunds and bow ties. She looked awfully pleased with herself when I told her – Dani, did she have it planned in advance, or something? And what the heck is Apple Slice, anyway? I mean, why is green called Apple Slice?"

Dani chuckled _. "April suggested that particular style early on, but I hadn't made up my mind until just recently. I'm sure she feels like she's psychic or something. And it's Apple Slice because it's like Granny Smith apples – you know, the green ones!"_

"Oh." That did make some sense, now that Jack thought about it. "Okay." A sudden thought occurred to him. "Speaking of grannies, have you talked to your grandmother lately?"

" _No, but I'll call her tonight, and that way you'll be around to hear any news firsthand. She's not going to try to come up to Bayport until two days before the wedding – she's letting herself heal as long as possible before flying."_

Knowing that Dani's grandmother had recently had knee replacement surgery, Jack winced in sympathy. "That's a good idea."

" _She'll be here for the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. She sounded excited about coming,"_ Dani bubbled. _"It's going to be so nice to have some_ _real_ _family here for the wedding! I mean, I've got my self-made family – you, and April, and my boys at the fire station, and even Golden Boy and Frankenstein and Vanessa and Megan are almost like family – but Grandma Bev is special."_ She sighed. _"I know it's not easy for her to travel right after knee surgery, and I'm so grateful that she's making the effort to come all the way from Florida. She's all the family I've got left, you know."_

"I know, sweetheart." Jack had been horrified to learn that Dani's father and much-older brother had been firefighters as well, in Boston, and had died in the line of duty, and that her mother had been the victim of a car accident. Dani's father's mother had taken the orphaned girl in and raised her. "We'll do everything possible to make her comfortable while she's here," he assured Dani, "And April's already informed me that she and Todd will handle getting her back to the airport to catch her flight, the next morning."

" _Oh Jack, that's so nice of April! I was afraid we'd have to delay leaving on our honeymoon for a day, to make sure she got to the airport!"_

"Even if we did, honey, it wouldn't ruin anything. You worrying about the venerable Mrs. Beverly Tanner, however, would. And I can't wait to meet her in person," he added, sincerely.

Dani sighed happily. _"I love you, you big lug."_

He chuckled. "Me too."

When she spoke again, Dani sounded more relaxed and laid back. _"I'm glad to have a couple of days off now. We weren't busy, really, like I told you Sunday – so we got to sit around for hours on end and listen to one of the guys go on and on about naming his new baby!"_

"Huh?" She hadn't mentioned that before.

" _Cal Brudebaker's wife is expecting a baby in about a month, and they haven't been able to agree on a name for him. He's threatening to name it 'Josephus Wesley Cornelius Brudebaker'!"_

Jack began to laugh. "All right, now that's just downright mean. Why would he do that to an innocent baby?"

" _Because his wife keeps vetoing all the 'serious' names Cal suggests."_ Dani was laughing too. _"She's come up with things like 'Kaydin Jayden Brudebaker,' and 'Addison Romeo Brudebaker,' and he wasn't having any of it."_

"What does he want to name him?"

" _He had several ideas – one being 'John Calvin Brudebaker,' and I can't remember any of the others offhand. It got so bad that we finally ended up threatening to get out the adhesive tape from the med-kits, and cover his mouth with it!"_ Dani didn't sound even slightly regretful about this.

Jack noted that the cargo had all been loaded, and knew that he had to end their conversation. "I need to sign off now, the plane's loaded," he said regretfully. "Two and a half weeks, Dani-girl. Two and a half weeks, and then I'll be standing in that church, waiting for you, wondering again for the thousandth time how I got so lucky. I not only found the most beautiful woman in Bayport, but I got her to agree to marry me!"

Her low voice went soft and sultry. _"And I'll be walking down the aisle to you, looking at the handsomest man in Bayport and thanking my lucky stars that Fenton Hardy got hit with a golf ball so I could meet you!"_ She laughed, and Jack felt himself fall more deeply in love with her than ever…if that were possible. _"I do love you, Jack Wayne!"_

"And I love you, Danielle Tanner. I'll be home soon."

#####

"I'm back – and I'm leaving again!" Bella's voice rang through the Hardy home as she entered through the front door. She went into the living room and found her aunt seated on the couch, doing the _New York Times_ crossword puzzle. "Hi, Aunt Laura – I had a marvelous time in New York. I found the greatest dress and shoes – you'll love them! I'll tell you all about it when I get back tonight! "

Laura looked up and smiled a welcome, and Bella felt her heart skip a beat. Laura looked so much like her twin sister Linda – Bella's mother – right down to the same mannerisms and wicked sense of humor. Although it had been nearly a year since Linda's death, and over a year since Marco's, Bella still missed her parents terribly. But the pain was now less than it had been. She had family now, extended family, devoted family, more than she'd ever been aware of, back then; both on Marco's and Linda's sides. And where once the Scarpettis and the Hardys had been adversaries, now they were united – at least where Bella was concerned.

"Where are you off to?" Laura inquired, "Any place I ought to know about?"

"Tony got his boat back from the repair shop yesterday." Bella's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "He's ready to take it out for a trial run, and he invited me to go along. He'll be here any time now to pick me up."

"Does Tony still have the _Napoli_? I hadn't realized," Laura commented.

"He does, but of course since he's been living in New York City, he hasn't been able to use it. And it needed the hull repaired," Bella bubbled, "so he sent it down to one of the repair places by the Bay, and they fixed it. I'm looking forward to this!"

"Well, have a good time, honey, and you and Tony stay safe. We'll see you when you get back – if you want, bring Tony here for dinner."

"Thanks, Aunt Laura; I'll see what he wants to do and let you know. I've got to change!" Bella darted from the room and ran upstairs to the guestroom, where she donned clothing she'd brought back from her home in New York. She was hurrying down the stairs when she heard Tony's car pull into the driveway. Calling back a farewell to Laura, she dashed out the front door and hopped into the car. "Hi!"

" _Ciao, cara."_ Tony leaned over to give her a quick kiss. "Did you find what you were looking for, in the city?" He backed out of the driveway and turned towards the waterfront.

"Yes! I found the perfect dress and shoes," she chattered. "It's absolutely gorgeous – almost the same Apple Slice green as the bridesmaids' dresses, but it's a different cut. It's short, for one thing – knee length, and theirs are floor-length. It's got a scoop neck and it's sleeveless with wide straps, and it has ruches at the waist – those are a kind of flat ruffles," she explained, noting Tony's blank expression at the unfamiliar word. "And I found heels in the same color – well, actually, I had to get white fabric shoes and I'm having them dyed to match."

"You're dyeing your shoes?"

"It's done all the time!"

"If you say so, _cara_."

"Grandma Rosalie bought them for me – she didn't come along shopping, but she told me to get whatever I wanted and gave me her store charge cards; wasn't that super?"

"Very cool," Tony agreed. He hoped Rosalie Scarpetti had large credit balances; who knew what an excited Bella might decide to buy!

"I can wear the dress on dates – dress-up dates – after the wedding, too." She gave him one of those looks she so excelled at, glancing from the corners of her eyes and fluttering her lashes just a trifle.

"Dress-up dates, huh?" Tony wasn't as appalled as he might once have been. Having to wear a tuxedo to work at Marco's had accustomed him to formal wear. "What, you want to cruise the competition or something? Have dinner at Angelo's or El Mulino, see how Marco's stacks up?"

She looked intrigued at that. "Maybe. Hadn't thought of that, but it's not a bad idea, you know? Never hurts to scope out the competition. And it would be a business expense!"

"Whatever you want, _cara mia_. You're the boss, in case you've forgotten."

Bella rambled on awhile longer, about her dress and shoes and the wrist corsage she would wear with it. Tony let her talk, knowing that she was as enthralled with wedding details as all the rest of the girls seemed to be these days. Frank and Joe too, to some extent! He, himself, was glad he wasn't involved in either Callie Shaw's wedding or Dani Tanner's to Jack Wayne. But he was happy for Bella, who seemed to be in seventh heaven over her unexpected role as Dani's candle lighter.

"You'll be the prettiest girl at the wedding," he said when she wound down at last. "I can't wait to see you in that dress."

She laughed, blushing but pleased. "Well, maybe not quite, not with Vanessa and Megan around, and especially not with Dani as the bride…but I should hold my own!"

Tony found a place to park near the dock where he'd moored the _Napoli_ , and led Bella over to the boat. "Well, there she is! I've had her since I was in high school, and she's still a great little boat."

"She's beautiful, Tony – I love her!" Bella said sincerely.

"You have a hat or something, and a jacket? It's colder out there than you might think, this early in the summer."

"Yes, I do." Bella rooted in the canvas tote bag she'd brought, and pulled out a windbreaker and one of Joe's baseball caps which she'd quietly appropriated. She slipped the jacket on and jammed the hat over her blonde curls, then took the life vest Tony handed her and put it on, watching as he donned a similar one.

"Okay, let's try this."

She took his hand to step down into the craft, giggling and holding on a little tighter as it rocked beneath her feet.

"Steady there…you been in anything this size before?"

"No! I've just been on the New York ferries, which don't even count as boats, and once or twice Daddy and Mom and I did a dinner cruise on the Hudson. But nothing like this!" She took a few tentative steps, still trying to keep her balance. "We won't pitch over, will we?"

"Not if you don't do something crazy-weird. Here, sit down." Grinning, Tony guided her to a seat next to the pilot's, in the cockpit. "Now stay put."

"Yes, dear, whatever you say, dear. Tony, this is so exciting!" Bella's eyes sparkled as she surveyed her surroundings, watching Tony's every move as he went about casting off the moorings and preparing to move out into the bay. She bounced a little in excitement as he eased out of the slip. A few moments later they were in the clear. Tony opened up the throttle, slowly increasing their speed – and then he let the _Napoli_ have her head.

"Ooooooh!" Bella squealed in delight as they sped out into the bay. "Oh, this is wonderful!"

"Nice, huh?" Tony shouted. Glad that the seats were conveniently close together, he reached out and put an arm around Bella's shoulders and pulled her nearer, expertly piloting the craft with one hand.

"It's great! Ooooh!" she gasped as a fine, cold spray of water hit them when Tony spun into a turn.

"That's why I said to wear the jacket and hat!" He settled back happily, delighted that Bella seemed to love the water and the _Napoli_ as much as he did.

Eventually he throttled down, reducing their speed to a bare minimum, then shut the motor off completely, allowing the _Napoli_ to rock gently on Barmet Bay's summer-calm waters. Bella snuggled in with a blissful sigh, and they drifted, supremely content.

"I'm gonna miss you, Bella _cara_ ," Tony murmured at last, his voice uncharacteristically husky. "When you go next month to Italy with your grandparents, I'm gonna miss you so darned much. It wasn't so bad when you were just talking about three weeks, but now…"

"I know…I'll miss you too." She sighed. "I do want to go, and if not now, who knows when? Neither Grandpa Antonio nor Grandma Rosalie are getting any younger, and they've both had serious illnesses. And they so want to take me! But…but it'll be hard, Tony, to go and leave you, and not see you or Aunt Laura and Uncle Fenton and Frank and Joe for nearly two whole months!" She turned her head to nuzzle against his shoulder. "Please don't find someone else while I'm gone?" she whispered.

"Never," Tony vowed, tightening his embrace. "Not a chance, _cara mia_." He gave a rueful chuckle. "Just think of all the money I'll save without you around for me to spend it on! By the time you come back we can go to El Mulino in real style."

She laughed mistily and administered a halfhearted punch to his midsection with one small fist. They continued to float along, letting the waves pull the _Napoli_ where they would.

Finally – reluctantly – Tony sat up and rummaged in a locker for a pair of binoculars. "Let's see who else is out this afternoon, shall we?" he suggested, and scanned their surroundings, looking for birds, sea lions or other wildlife, other boats and even checking for cruise ships or freighters that might be out further in the shipping lanes. Suddenly he paused, tightened the focus and then grinned. "Well, well, what have we here?"

"What is it?" Bella peered curiously in the direction he was looking.

"Up there. That bay cruiser." Tony handed her the binoculars and pointed at a large watercraft up ahead.

She looked, drawing back after a moment with a blank expression. "What about it?"

"Well, it's Callie and her wedding party – oh, right, you probably don't even know who she is, do you? Look again – you'll see a whole bunch of blonde girls. One's Vanessa – see her?"

Bella tried again and this time nodded. "Yes, there she is. Who are the others?"

"The other two near her are Liz Webling and Callie Shaw. Callie's the one wearing the red-striped shirt. Liz is in blue. I don't know the other girls." Tony reached to start the _Napoli's_ engine. "Let's go a little closer, maybe say 'hi,' how's that?"

"Sure, fine," Bella agreed, still gazing through the binoculars. "If I'm invited to Callie's wedding I probably ought to at least know what she looks like!" She watched as they drew nearer the bigger watercraft. She could see Callie talking to the two other girls, leaning over the side of the boat to point at something in the water, all of them laughing heartily.

It happened as Bella watched, so fast that no one could have possibly prevented it. One of the other girls on the boat, who was carrying a drink in each hand, was passing behind Callie, Vanessa and Liz, and appeared to stumble. She fell forward, straight against Callie – who arced over the railing and plummeted headfirst into the cold waters of Barmet Bay!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

As always, thank you to Cherylann, Max2013 and Sarai for commenting on the previous chapter.

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 9

'Callie!" Vanessa – and Liz and several others – let out a startled cry as she saw her friend go flying over the railing and splash into Barmet Bay's chilly waters. She leaned over the side and stared down _. She'll be fine – she's got a life vest on!_ Even as the thought flickered through her mind, she saw Callie bob to the surface, spitting out water and looking both shocked and bewildered.

"Callie! Honey!" Jonathan was there now, crowding to the railing, along with most of the rest of the boat's occupants.

Callie rubbed a hand across her face, pushing her hair out of her eyes, and looked up, just as a round life preserver went flying past Vanessa's head to land neatly in the water next to Callie.

Turning, Vanessa saw that the rope attached to the life preserver was clutched tightly in Katy's hands, and the young girl was staring down at her cousin, white-faced with shock. The remains of two drinks lay spilled on the deck of the cruiser, right behind where Callie had been standing before her abrupt descent into the bay.

"Grab it!" Jonathan yelled, taking the rope from Katy's shaking hands, and Callie moved to do so. He and Steve tugged on the rope, drawing her around to the back of the barge, where it was easier to pull her out. The two football players made short work of lifting the slender blonde back onto the deck.

With the same idea in mind, Liz and Vanessa both moved toward the side of the boat where there was a stack of folded towels. Grabbing them, the two girls hurried back to Callie. Jonathan was already wrapping a jacket around her, one which Heather had pulled off and handed over, and briskly rubbing Callie's arms. Vanessa took one of the towels and began rubbing Callie's drenched blonde locks, which were streaming water over her shoulders.

Jennifer, the maid of honor, grabbed another and bent down to dry off Callie's legs. "Callie, let's get your shoes off," she prodded, and began yanking on the sodden laces of Callie's athletic shoes. Liz stooped over to help as well, patting with another towel.

Callie was shivering now, and shaking, her teeth chattering both from the cold and from the shock of being catapulted into the water. For a few moments no one spoke much; they were all too busy trying to get her as dry and warm as possible.

Finally Vanessa looked up, locking eyes with Liz, who spoke for them all: "What happened, anyway?"

Callie looked about, and her gaze rested on Heather just a shade longer than anyone else. Heather, standing between Jennifer and Katy – not a member of the wedding party, but invited because she was such a good friend… "Someone knocked me over the edge," Callie said in a flat, unemotional tone. She was about to go on when a new voice called out,

"Ahoy the Party Boat!"

Vanessa turned to look over the railing, and saw a motor boat idling nearby with Tony Prito at the helm, Bella Scarpetti seated next to him. "Tony! And Bella!" She waved and beckoned them nearer. "Come around to the back, where it's lower." She hastily patted at Callie's hair a few more times, trying to get a little more moisture wicked out.

"Tony's there?" Callie twisted about, surprised. "And he's in the _Napoli_! Hi, Tony!" She moved to the back railing where she could speak to her old friend without yelling and perched on a low seat.

"Hey, Callie. This is Bella Scarpetti, Frank and Joe's cousin. We were just coming over to say hello when we saw you take the dive over the side. You okay?"

"I wasn't hurt at all, if that's what you mean. I'm just wet…and cold, and grungy." She wrung water from her shorts ruefully. "Hi, Bella – nice to meet you, but sorry about the circumstances!"

"Glad you're all right." Tony glanced around and spoke in a lowered tone: "It looked like someone knocked into you from behind, but I couldn't see who it was; we weren't close enough and the angle was wrong."

"It was Heather that bumped into her," Katy piped up.

"I didn't mean to!" Heather protested, flushing. "I had my hands full, and I tripped on something on the deck! I couldn't catch myself in time, and so I knocked into Callie – and she fell overboard. I'm sorry she fell; she might have gotten hurt or been drowned or something…"

Callie regarded Heather thoughtfully for a moment before she turned her gaze to her cousin. Katy was still pale and shaken, but she looked almost…proud. Callie beckoned her forward, and Katy crouched down beside her. Callie enclosed her in a careful hug. "Thank you, Katy, for throwing the life preserver so quickly!"

"Um…it was easy," Katy said in a low voice. "I had picked it up to move it out of the way. I was already holding it when you fell – all I had to do was throw it."

"But it was your quick thinking – some people would have just stood there clutching it and not thought to toss it to me. So thank you, very much."

Vanessa watched the little tableau discreetly. She noted that Katy seemed to be a bit more relaxed and cheerful than she'd been at any time since they'd met. She wondered if finally Katy was beginning to warm up to the other members of the wedding party, or if conversely she was pleased because Callie had been dumped into the water. _Perhaps she didn't have anything to do with the disappearance of the Bible, after all…or perhaps she did and this is the next step_. Vanessa shook her head dubiously and dismissed the thought for the moment.

Callie was by now looking less shaken and more lively. Jonathan helped her to her feet, then assisted Katy to rise as well.

"Tony, wouldn't you and Bella like to join us for awhile?" Callie invited. "You could just tie the _Napoli_ to the back of the barge and come aboard. We have lots of good stuff to eat and drink," she tempted them, "and we'd be glad to have you."

"Ah, sorry, wish we could, but we already have plans for this evening, and we have to get back to shore and get cleaned up," Tony declined. Bella, who had remained silent throughout all this, as she only really knew Vanessa, made polite noises of refusal as well. "Glad we got to see you for a few minutes, though," Tony continued, "and we'll be at the wedding. _Ciao_!" He waved, turned the _Napoli_ and eased her away from the party boat, then opened the throttle. He and Bella went skipping away over the waves, Bella's delighted laughter trailing back to the occupants of the other craft.

Callie, determined not to let her outing end on this subdued note, turned to her guests and fiancé. "All right, let's get this party rolling again," she commanded cheerfully. The others moved to comply.

Vanessa, even as she accepted a fresh drink and a plate of snacks, continued to keep an eye on Heather Patterson. Something about the girl bothered her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. "First thing back," she murmured to Liz, "I'm saying something to Joe about this. It may have been nothing more than an accident…or it may not. But he and Frank need to know."

#####

"Ouch." Frank winced as he eased the little plane down on the tarmac and taxied towards the Wayne's World hangar. Once there and parked, he raised a hand to rub at his aching neck and shoulder. It had been stiff when he awoke – apparently he slept on it wrong – and had been bothering him all day. Flying exacerbated the discomfort, for whatever reasons, and naturally he'd had two runs to make today! He'd intended to grab some pain reliever after the first one, but the turn-around time had barely allowed him to jot down his log notes and make a hasty dash to the restroom before he had to take off again! And for some mysterious reason the first aid kit on the plane hadn't had any aspirin or ibuprofen in it. Obviously someone had raided it and not replaced what they took.

Now, at the end of two muscle-cramping flights, all Frank desired was to find some extra-strength aspirin, crawl into bed and go to sleep – or beg someone to give him a neck massage, whichever came first. Since he and Megan had no plans for the evening, he suspected it would be the aspirin and sleep.

Despite the discomfort he went through his post-flight checklist quickly and thoroughly; pain or no pain, he refused to cut corners with this particular task. He made a note to check all the fluid levels tomorrow morning before taking off, and finally eased himself and his stiff neck gingerly out of the cockpit and into Jack's office.

There he found Joe, standing by Jack's vacant desk and talking on his cell phone. Frank sat down at the computer, pulled up the appropriate form and began to type the information from his log onto it.

"That was Vanessa," Joe informed him after ending the call – somewhat superfluously, as Frank had heard Joe's side of the conversation, and doubted that there was anyone else out there that Joe called 'Babe,' blue oxes and pet pigs aside. "Guess what she told me?"

"I can't even begin to imagine," Frank said warily.

"She was out on the bay with Callie and the rest of the wedding party, on one of those party barge cruises, and while it was going on, Callie got knocked over the edge and into the water, by one of the other girls!"

Frank turned the whole chair, slowly, so as not to have to turn his head. "Is she all right?"

"Callie? Yeah, she's fine. She was wearing a life jacket, and someone threw her a life preserver too. They got her out right away."

"Who knocked into her?"

"Heather Patterson. You remember her – she's tall and has dark brown hair – one of the few not-blondes in that whole bunch. She's not one of the bridesmaids; I think she's handling the guestbook, or something like that." Joe was proud of his memory at the moment, since Frank was still looking blank. "It could have just been an accident, of course, but still…it gives us someone else to consider in the Bible theft issue. Whaddya think?"

"I'll think about it after awhile, if I'm still alive. Right now I can't concentrate on puzzles, and I'd kill for some aspirin," Frank said grimly.

Joe rolled his eyes but looked sympathetic all the same. "Hang on," he said and headed for the restroom. Returning, he handed Frank a paper cup of water and a bottle of Migraine-Relief Excedrin. "There, take some."

Gratefully, Frank swallowed the caplets and leaned back in the desk chair. "Did Van say if she thought Heather pushed Callie on purpose?"

Joe shook his head, perching on the corner of the desk. "She said Callie insists that it was an accident, and that Heather didn't push her intentionally, but Van doesn't feel all that certain, and neither does Liz. Maybe we could take another look at her…we might be able to check over her room at Callie's. That is, if we can talk Callie into letting us search the place."

"Well, I'll try to talk to Callie about it tonight." Frank carefully turned the swivel chair and began closing down the computer. "But I want to go home now, as soon as we can."

"We can go; I'm done for the day. Hey, I'll even drive. Aren't you glad we just brought one car today?"

It was a testament to the misery Frank was in that he actually did let Joe drive them home, despite prior vows to never allow him behind the wheel of the Saturn again. True, Joe had driven it in the past, but it wasn't a memory Frank was fond of recalling.

Once home, Frank went upstairs to his room with a heating pad, lay down on his bed and waited for the Excedrin to kick in. He was half-asleep when Joe tapped on his door.

"You awake?"

"No. Go away."

Joe didn't oblige. "Bella and Tony just walked in – they were out on the bay today too."

Frank opened one eye. "He's got the _Napoli_ up and running again?"

"Evidently. Anyway, they saw the Callie incident and wanted to talk to us about it."

"Oh man." Frank sat up carefully, noting that the ache seemed to have diminished somewhat. "Well, let's hear what they have to say."

Tony and Bella were damp and rosy-cheeked and tousled and windblown – and full of suppressed excitement about what they had witnessed.

"We saw someone definitely push Callie," Tony asserted, "but at the distance we were from them I can't say for sure who it was. There were all these girls standing around wearing orange life vests over their clothes and even with the binoculars… well, anyway, it looked to me like the one who did the shoving had dark hair, and that separates her from the rest of that crowd."

"Heather did admit she fell into Callie," Bella noted, "but she insisted that it was nothing but an accident."

"This doesn't necessarily mean that Heather took Callie's Bible," Joe pointed out reasonably, "but I think it would be a real stretch to have two people trying to either hurt Callie or spoil her wedding. These women are supposed to be her friends, after all! They're part of the wedding – why would they want to spoil it?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted, getting to her feet. "But I do know that I have to go take a shower and wash my hair. We're going to a movie tonight, and I can't go looking like this! But we thought you ought to know."

"I need to go home and do the same," Tony agreed. "See you guys later – and I'll see you, _cara_ , in about an hour and a half. Suit you?"

"Suits me," Bella replied, and walked him to the front door to say goodbye.

Joe and Frank got up as well and went upstairs, Frank intending to return to his heating pad and soft bed, Joe heading for his computer with a vague idea nudging at his brain.

###

"You asleep again?"

Frank rolled his head a fraction and looked at Joe through narrowed eyes. "I was trying to be," he said pointedly. "What is it now?"

"I've been doing some research, O Ancient and Decrepit One, and I think I've not only found out who our perp is, but guess what?"

"What? Intrigued in spite of himself, Frank propped himself up on his elbows. "And don't call me that."

Joe gave him a mysterious smile. "I, O Elderly and Infirm sibling, have found motive, too!"


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

Thank you, Max2013, Cherylann and Sarai for the commentary.

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 10

Frank reluctantly pulled himself off the bed and followed Joe into his room. Joe sat down at his desk in front of his computer; Frank leaned on the back of his brother's chair and gazed at the monitor screen.

"Look at this." Joe scrolled up, revealing a MySpace page for 'Heather.' Dates in the statistics revealed her age currently as 20, and her location as Basalt, Colorado.

"Basalt? I thought they were in Boulder," Frank said, feeling confused. He started looking more closely at the page and discovered some anomalies. The picture was Heather Patterson, no doubt of that, but a younger Heather. Her hair was different; she wore bangs in the photo, and there was a red stripe in it, similar to Dani Tanner's vivid blue streaks. She also had braces on her teeth, not an uncommon thing for a teenager, Frank reflected.

"I don't think she's updated it since she started college," Joe admitted, "so she could be from Basalt, wherever that is."

"Move." Frank gestured for Joe to vacate the chair. Taking his place, Frank opened another computer window and did a quick search for 'Basalt, Colorado,' bringing up some information on the town. "It's about 20 miles from Aspen, on the same highway."

"Suppose she skis?" Joe asked idly.

Frank eyed him curiously, then shook his head, turning back to the MySpace page. "I thought you'd read this already; you know more than I do, right now! Why are you asking me?" He studied Heather's page intently, assimilating facts in his head. She'd attended Basalt High School, graduating two years previously. He scrolled down the page, seeking the 'interests' section – but on the way he found a surprise. This was evidently what had caught Joe's attention.

Heather had a lot of pictures, and there were some familiar faces in them. Not only Heather herself…but many of Jonathan Brooks! There were several of Jonathan in his football uniform – posed, with his helmet tucked beneath his arm or in a half-crouch, and also some that looked more like candid snapshots. There were pictures of him dressed in a suit, evidently at a dance; one in a tuxedo – probably a prom. Accompanying him in these photos was a pretty brunette: Heather herself.

"I see what you mean," Frank commented quietly. Now he panned down to "Interests" and discovered some very telling comments. Rather than lists of TV shows, music favorites, or activities, it was a running commentary on her feelings for a particular guy. "I Love Jonathan Brooks!" "I Heart Jonathan Brooks!" "Jonathan is my hero!" "Jonathan and Heather forever!"

Frank looked at Comments and found some telling ones: 'You need to get over him, girl.' 'Don't you ever read here anymore?' 'How's life in Boulder, Heather? You find a new guy yet?' He blew out a long breath and sat back, turning to look at Joe.

"Think she's still carrying a torch for Jonathan? And isn't very happy that the man of her dreams is marrying someone else?" Joe speculated. "That's my thought; she took the Bible to be a nuisance – to get back at Callie, the girl who's stealing what Heather wants: Jonathan."

Frank frowned. _What an emotional tangle_ _that_ _would be!_ And Joe was right; that's what it looked like. "I suppose," he allowed, "but I wish we had something more current that might lead us in that direction. This stuff is three or four years old; she might have gotten over him long ago."

"Or she still could be wanting him in a major way," Joe emphasized. "I think we should let Callie and Jonathan know about this…and then we should talk to Heather, too."

"We can do it tomorrow," Frank decided. "No sense in upsetting the apple cart tonight. I've only got one flight tomorrow morning, and you're only working a half day, right? We can call Callie tonight and make sure they're available tomorrow afternoon, and go over after work."

"Okay, works for me," Joe agreed. "I'll give Ms. Shaw a call and confirm a time with her." He paused, frowning at the computer screen. "We could e-mail Callie the link to this, and let her see it for herself," he suggested.

Frank shook his head. "I think we should be there. Just in case."

"You expect her to do something stupid?" Joe sat down on his bed.

"Who, Heather – or Callie?" Frank grinned, then sobered. He turned Joe's computer chair around and studied Joe. "What we know is, she was responsible – whether she did it on purpose or not – for knocking Callie into Barmet Bay today. Callie wasn't harmed, but she could have been. And if Heather took the Bible as well, there's no telling what else she might have done or is considering doing! I mean, it seems like she's escalating things. It may be a bout of extreme jealousy, but it also might be a major obsession bordering on mania! And even if it's just jealousy, she still could spoil Callie's wedding – and that's what we're trying to prevent." He sighed and rubbed his neck ruefully.

Joe nodded his understanding. "Gotcha. I'll call Callie. And please realize what a great sacrifice it is for me to call her, with our history! Now, off with you. Make personal friends with the heating pad and get some sleep. Hopefully you'll feel better in the morning." He grinned a little. "I promise not to wake you up again tonight."

"I will." Frank got up, smacked Joe lightly on the head, just for the hell of it, and went back to his room to lie down again.

#####

Frank's short flight the following day was indeed very short – he had only a 45-minute hop to the far side of Long Island and back. The part that took the longest was the argument which broke out between two employees of the receiving firm, with each man insisting it wasn't his job to offload anything from a plane! It had taken a phone call from Frank to the company's head of shipping, to settle the disagreement, make the men do what they were supposed to and allow Frank to head back to Bayport.

Frank was ready and willing to start on the 'Callie mystery' as Joe insisted on calling it, by the time he reached the familiar confines of Wayne's World. His stiff neck had relaxed overnight as he had hoped, and he felt 90% better. Still, he might be able to coax a neck massage out of Megan if he worked it right.

Joe was concentrating fiercely on the computer in Jack's office when Frank sauntered in. Craning his neck to see the screen, Frank was amused to note that his brother was apparently trying to lose obscene amounts of fictitious money while playing Las Vegas-style solitaire. The fact that particular game was on Jack's computer suggested Joe wasn't the only one with a gambling urge.

Joe glanced up as Frank came in, and waved hello.

"Scram, junior, I've got real work to do here." Frank gestured, and Joe reluctantly closed down his game and vacated the chair. "How come you insist on playing Vegas solitaire until you lose so much money?" Frank added as he pulled up the screen to log in his flight information.

"Why not? It's not like it's real money," Joe shrugged. "And there's not that much difference between losing a big chunk all at once and a big chunk a little bit at a time."

"Psychologically there would be, I'd think. One of these days you'll have a nervous breakdown because of all that imaginary money you've dumped down the drain." Frank couldn't see the lure of Vegas solitaire, although he liked some other online forms of solitaire fairly well.

"My psyche is just fine, thanks all the same."

###

When Frank finished, they drove over to the Shaws' home in Joe's BMW, which he adroitly angled into a parking space right in front. They made their way up the familiar walk and rang the doorbell. Callie answered the summons almost immediately and led them to the den where Jonathan waited.

"Well?" Callie barely waited until all were seated to open the conversation. "Have you found something out? You must have some sort of lead, or you wouldn't have bothered coming over here and asking Jonathan and me to meet with you, right?"

Joe took the lead. "We found something…interesting. Online. Do you have a computer we can use in here?"

Callie looked a bit taken aback. "Well…sure. I'll go upstairs and get my laptop." She returned shortly with the sleek little piece of equipment and turned it on, waiting a few moments until it connected with the house's WiFi. "There. Have at it."

Joe went to the page he had found on MySpace the day before and motioned Callie and Jonathan forward to see it. They moved to lean over his shoulders. "Ever seen this before?"

They studied the screen, Callie with a confused frown, Jonathan looking a little pale as he saw all the pictures of himself plastered on Heather's page.

"I thought she'd taken this down a long time ago," Jonathan muttered at last.

Callie turned to him with eyebrows raised in inquiry. "Enlighten me," she requested. He went from pale to pink in a matter of seconds.

"Can you tell us anything about this, Jonathan?" Frank encouraged him.

Jonathan sighed, nodding. "Heather and I grew up in the same town, Basalt, Colorado," he began. "You know that, Callie, right?" She nodded. "We dated for a couple of years when we were in high school – part of sophomore year, all junior year, part of senior year. We broke up when we were seniors – I thought it was fairly amicable, and I had no idea she hadn't taken this stuff off her page." He gestured towards the laptop screen. "She said she did! She said she took all the pictures of us down and wasn't even updating the page anymore. I didn't give it another thought…it's not like I dropped in to check." He looked from his fiancée to the two Hardys, bewilderment evident on his face. "Why would she lie to me about it?"

Callie smiled a little, despite the seriousness of the situation. "Jonathan," she said softly, "I'm in love with you…it doesn't surprise me at all that Heather still might be."

"Um…oh." Jonathan turned pinker.

Frank cleared his throat. "Is it possible," he suggested, "that maybe Heather still does have some feelings other than friendship toward you? Possible that she may be lashing out at Callie for having what she wants – namely, you?"

Both Jonathan and Callie looked disturbed at that suggestion. "Heather and I have been friends ever since we met, practically first day freshman year," Callie protested. "And even after I started dating Jonathan, nothing changed."

"Cal, I'm just offering ideas, okay? Maybe Joe and I are reading more into it than is warranted; maybe Heather did intend to take all this down and it just slipped her mind," Frank said soothingly.

Callie sighed. She looked at Jonathan.

"I guess there's nothing to do but ask her," he said heavily. "Since I'm the one she's crushing on—" He paused, and Frank secretly thought a better word to use would be _obsessing_ , but held his tongue. "I guess I should be the one to ask her, huh? Maybe she'll take it better from me than any of you three."

"That would probably be best," Frank agreed, "but if you don't mind, we'd like to stay and hear the conversation. We can stay out of it, but…just in case. She might get violent or something."

Jonathan smiled a little. "Frank, I'm 6'4½" and I weigh 220. Heather's what, 5'6"? I don't think she'll do me any damage."

"Better safe than sorry," Callie said. "Besides, they're – what? – impartial witnesses."

Jonathan shrugged, nodded and went to locate Heather and bring her to the den. Callie, Frank and Joe, left alone, exchanged somewhat embarrassed looks.

"Didn't want it to come down to something like this, Cal," Joe muttered. "We're sorry."

"Better you two than anyone else," she replied with a sad smile. "No matter how it turns out, guys…thanks."

Jonathan and Heather entered the room.

"Jonathan said you had something you wanted me to see?" Heather looked questioningly at Callie, who indicated the glowing laptop screen. Jonathan steered Heather over to the table.

Heather took one look and went white. She looked appealingly up at the tall young man standing beside her.

"Something you'd like to tell me, Heather?" he asked gently.

She shook her head, remaining mute while she stared at the incriminating MySpace page.

"You said you'd taken down all the pictures of us and things about me," Jonathan reminded her.

Heather's mouth moved silently for a few seconds before she finally managed to speak. "I…meant to," she whispered at last. "I went in to do it…more than once. I just couldn't. It was…it was all I had left…of you."

Callie bit her lip, closing her eyes. Behind the backs of the others, the Hardys looked at each other. Joe grimaced, shaking his head.

Jonathan moved Heather away from the table, seating her in an easy chair, then perched his large frame on a ridiculously small ottoman in front of her and looked into her eyes. "Did you take Callie's Bible?" he asked directly.

Heather nodded – just a tiny inclination of her head.

"Where did you put it? Or did you just throw it away? If you still have it, it's not too late to give it back, you know."

"I didn't throw it away. I still have it," Heather said softly. "I'll give it back. Jonathan – tell me this: was there ever any chance of us getting back together? Before you met Callie, I mean?"

He didn't even pause to think about it. "No, no chance. Some things I just don't forgive, you know?"

"Yeah." She sighed, and after a moment stood up. "I'll go get the Bible," she whispered, and left the room.

"Okay, what was that about?" Callie demanded – but not angrily, merely sounding curious. "What did she do that you couldn't forgive? You're one of the most forgiving people I know!"

Jonathan shrugged and explained. "Beginning of senior year she met this guy – he'd transferred in from somewhere else over the summer. She and I were still together then. Well, in the high school there was a back hallway that led to the music room, not the regular entrance; you had to know it was there to use it. I mean, people didn't just randomly walk down it. It wasn't well lighted or anything. It's also near the gym, and I used to use it to cut through to the other parts of the building. One day I walked in on her and Drew, making out in that nice dark hallway. I broke up with her the next day, even though she promised she'd never do anything like it again." He sighed. "I stayed friends with her, but…I don't give my trust all that easily, and I didn't want to date her any more. It would have been one thing if she'd said she wanted to date somebody else occasionally. But… She isn't malicious, you know," he added. "She has impulse control problems. That's probably what happened with the Bible. She was cleaning off the buffet, maybe, and saw it – and took it before she thought about what she was doing. And then either didn't want to return it or wanted to and didn't know how to slip it back…"

"Even though she knew it hurt Callie to have it gone missing?" Frank said quietly.

"I know, I know, it's dumb…maybe she thought she'd get more attention from me, or something. I don't know why…I'm no psychologist."

Heather re-entered the room carrying the little Bible. She went straight to Callie and handed it to her. "I'm so sorry… I don't… I just…I'm sorry, Callie." Tears streamed down her face.

Callie clutched the Bible against herself and looked up at the girl she'd considered her friend. "Why?" she asked.

"I…I've wanted him for so long. I lost him, but I wanted him…and you had him…and it hurt. And I wanted you to hurt like I did, from losing something…and this was… I don't know. I just…I'm so sorry."

Callie looked at Jonathan, who returned her gaze calmly, neither discouraging nor encouraging her one way or another. She turned her head to look at Frank and Joe, who had moved back to stand by the fireplace. Frank smiled at her, just a little, but both he and Joe held neutral expressions. This was Callie's decision, pure and simple. They wouldn't interfere.

Finally she looked into Heather's tear-filled eyes. "I forgive you," she said softly, and held out her arms to hug the other girl briefly. "I think…I think I need to spend the rest of the day away from you, but…I understand. Thank you for returning this."

Heather nodded shakily. "I really am sorry I knocked you into the water. I wish I could say it was an accident, but…well, I think it was an accident that I let happen. I'm so sorry—"

"No more apologies!" Callie said firmly. "That's enough. I get it, I really do. I do forgive you, but…but if anything like this ever happens again – if you do anything else – I swear I'll never speak to you again. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand. Do you want me to leave now? Go back to Colorado, I mean."

"No," Callie said, more gently. "I want you to stay and attend the wedding just as we planned. I think maybe I have something for you to do…get you more involved. Just…right now…go upstairs or something."

"And clear out that page," Jonathan put in, indicating the computer with a jerk of his head.

"Okay. Thank you, Callie." With one last look at Jonathan, Heather fled from the room. They heard her rapid footsteps on the stairs.

Callie drew in a deep breath and let it out…slowly. Then she crossed the room to Jonathan and let him enfold her in his arms. After a long moment they both turned to the Hardys. Callie beckoned them nearer.

"Thank you both," she murmured, extending a hand. Then, deciding that wasn't enough, she freed herself from Jonathan's embrace and hugged them, first Frank and then Joe. "You guys are the greatest! I'm so relieved that Bible was found!"

"I'm glad we could help," Frank said, exchanging a hand-clasp with Jonathan as well. "There's a chance Heather might have returned it before the wedding ceremony, but… Well, she doesn't seem like a bad girl. Just too impetuous for her own good, I guess. Sort of like Joe, here."

"Hey!"

Callie and Jonathan both chuckled. Callie wiped away some tears that glittered on her lashes.

"You're going to get her more involved in the wedding?" Joe queried. "Punishing her, are we?"

"Well…maybe just a little. I'm human." Callie looked only slightly embarrassed. "I can't wait to marry you!" she announced, and turned to Jonathan, wrapping her arms about his waist again.

"And on that note, _mon frère_ , we make our exit," Joe urged. "We're third wheels here!" He grabbed Frank's arm and tugged.

"Speedy-like," Frank agreed, not resisting in the least. "Let's make tracks, Tonto."

"Thank you again," Jonathan called after them. "See you at the wedding!"

Frank smiled as they went into the front hall. Just as they left he overheard Callie's soft voice: "I love you…so much, Jonathan Brooks. I can't wait to be your wife!"


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

As always, thank you to Cherylann, Sarai and Max2013. Hope you're continuing to enjoy the story.

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 11

Megan Wright pulled her little teal-blue Sunfire up next to the curb on Elm Street and turned off the engine. She had learned early on to park on the street, even when there was room in the Hardys' driveway, for there was often a great deal of coming and going in this particular house, and frequently at high rates of speed! Having to wait while someone moved a car wasn't always acceptable. Currently there didn't happen to be any room, for even though Joe's convertible was absent, Bella's car – the Miata which had belonged to her father Marco – was in its place.

Megan went up the walkway and mounted the steps to the front porch, enjoying the June morning, which was sunshiny but still cool. She raised her hand to knock, then stepped back, startled, as it suddenly opened before she could touch it!

Laura, equally surprised, gasped slightly, then recovered. "Goodness, Megan! I didn't realize you were here already! Well, good morning!" She stepped out on the porch, and Megan saw now that Laura was wearing gardening gloves and carrying a flat of some small plants in little plastic containers. .

"You're doing the flower thing again!" Megan smiled. "I love it when I see you working outside with flowers. It always reminds me of the first time I came here with Frank."

Laura smiled too, reminiscently. "I was trimming back the fuchsias in the hanging baskets," she recalled. "And I was extremely surprised to see Frank arrive here with a strange girl in tow!"

"And you offered to make me breakfast – you made scrambled eggs and toast; I remember – because Frank and I had just had coffee. Which was awfully nice of you, considering you didn't know me from a hole in the ground."

"Well…" Laura laughed a little. "I liked you – lots. I saw at first look that Frank was smitten with you. Deservedly. And since I was making it for Joe anyway, I was glad to include you and Frank" She set down the plants on the porch swing and took off her gloves to give Megan a warm hug. "That was a very special, extra-good day for the Hardy family – because it brought us you."

Megan sighed, returning the embrace. "Thank you. It was extra-special for me, too."

Eventually Laura reluctantly freed herself. "If there are going to be hanging baskets to trim in the fall I have to get these things planted," she smiled, gesturing to the little flower starts.

"And I better get inside and get to work," Megan agreed.

"Come into the kitchen for a cup of coffee in an hour or so, honey, okay?" Laura opened the front door and motioned for Megan to enter. "I know I'll want one after I do this!"

Megan walked quietly to the recently renovated room which now housed most of the paperwork and office paraphernalia for Hardy Investigations. It didn't seem that anyone else in the house was awake, for she could hear no sounds of activity anywhere.

A part of her had still not completely lost the overwhelming feeling of awed intimidation around Fenton that had plagued her for the first few months she'd dated Frank, but time and Mr. Hardy's warmth and patience had overcome most of it. He'd made it quite evident that he liked her, was happy that she and Frank had come to an 'understanding,' and these days, he apparently was pleased with her work, as well. Megan had begun to think of him as not only 'Frank's father' but something of a father-figure for herself, especially since he'd requested that she call him either 'Fenton' or some nickname or other. She still missed her own father very much, and wished he was still alive, but Fenton was slowly becoming someone she could talk to if she felt in need of some fatherly wisdom. The fact that he was also now her boss made it easy to facilitate conversations.

She'd been working for him part-time since late January. After the fiasco of the broken water pipe and flooded basement in February, when Fenton had lost a lot of his old files to water damage, one of her tasks was to type up all of his notes on current cases, either dictated or from what he'd written down. These hard copies were then carefully stored on the new shelving in the basement, high above any foreseeable water levels, as well as in computer files. She also sent out invoices to clients and recorded payments – glad she'd picked up some knowledge of bookkeeping from her accountant father – and did computer and other types of research for him when necessary. And when she had time, she worked on deciphering the water-stained papers that had survived the flood, and re-created the ruined case files.

Megan was in for a second surprise, for when she entered the office she found Fenton at his desk , scanning through a file folder. "Oh, Mr. Hardy! Good morning; I didn't realize you were here."

"Good morning, Megan." Fenton looked up and smiled as Megan slid her purse from her shoulder and set it under the small desk in the corner she called hers, then sat down in her chair. "Sorry if I startled you, but I've got a ten o'clock meeting with a client and I thought I'd get some work done before I left."

"It just seems to be a morning for my being surprised," she said, explaining her encounter with Laura at the front door.

"Well, you should be undisturbed once I leave. If you can keep Frank and Bella out, that is." Fenton's dark eyes twinkled. "I think you're safe from Joe; he's working this morning."

Demurely, she indicated the stack of files in her outbox. "I think I'll have plenty to keep busy. I finished those, but I did have a question on one of the dictation tapes."

"Let's clear that up, then; I've got some time now." Mr. Hardy set aside his paperwork and prepared to listen, as Megan put the tape in question into the player. He grinned when he heard it. "That was when I had a cold in April, wasn't it? No wonder you can't understand what I said – I can barely understand it, and I said it!" After replaying the section in question a time or two he figured out the gist of it, and Megan jotted the information down for later inclusion in her transcript.

"Those can wait," Fenton said then, "because I have a research project for you this morning. See what you can find about something called the Burkweller Society. There should be a lot of Internet references to it. I'm not looking for anything in particular, just general information about it. Oh, and if there are message board sites having to do with it, or member and client lists, check those out too, if you would."

Megan nodded, noting down the name. "Do you want me to make notes for you and print them off, or just forward the links to the sites to your e-mail?"

Fenton thought about that a moment. "Forward the links," he said at last, "but I wouldn't mind a printed summarization as well. With your comments, please." He winked at her evident surprise. "It's good practice, honey. I want to hear what conclusions you come up with, if any. Sometimes you have some insights I miss. And even if you do decide to slide over into law instead of investigation, like you mentioned awhile back, those insights are still very valuable."

She flushed warmly, appreciating the compliment. "Any correspondence to go out?"

"Not yet, but I'll probably have something this afternoon. Since you're just here in the morning today I'll leave the drafts on your desk and you can do them tomorrow." He paused, frowning. "You are here tomorrow, aren't you?"

She dimpled. "Yes. Tomorrow's Friday. I'll be here."

"Good." Fenton looked at his wristwatch and pushed back from the desk. "I've got to go to my meeting. Enjoy the peace and quiet." He patted her curls fondly on his way to the door.

Megan worked peacefully for a time. The house was silent, so evidently neither Frank nor Bella happened to be up yet, and Laura was outside planting her flowers. Megan was deep in the project Fenton had assigned, delving for information online, when a light tap on the door made her look up. She smiled in welcome. "Good morning, Bella."

"Hi there." Bella slipped into the room and closed the door behind her. "You busy?" she whispered.

"Relatively – but it's not something I can't stop doing for a few minutes. What do you need?"

"Did you hear about Callie's Bible?" the little blonde asked.

"What about it?" Megan frowned in confusion. "Or – do you mean it's been found?!"

"Yes!" Bella nodded vigorously. "At least that's what Joe said last night – but he didn't say anything more about it! He didn't say where it turned up, or who found it, or anything! So I thought maybe Frank told you…?"

"Nope." Megan shook her head. "I haven't even talked to Frank since yesterday. I'm figuring I'll see him today, of course," she added with a smile.

"Darn!" Bella pouted.

"The important thing is that Callie has her Bible back, isn't it?" Megan couldn't help smiling as she pointed this out. Bella was so funny when she felt she simply _had_ to know things!

"Well, sure, but…"

"Maybe you can find out from Frank today."

"Or maybe you can find out from Frank today, and then tell me," Bella countered, and headed for the door. "I'm going to go find myself some breakfast. Where's Aunt Laura, do you know?"

"Outside, planting flowers," Megan replied absently, already turning her attention back to her computer search. She barely heard Bella's departure.

#####

"Sit. Stay." Seated at the Wayne household kitchen table, April indicated chairs with an imperious gesture, her eyes glinting with that hint of coordinator madness that had taken her over – ever since Jack had proposed, Dani accepted, and Dani asked for help planning the wedding. She had a pink clipboard with a pen attached sitting on the table, and the familiar notebook which Megan Wright had dubbed her 'Book of Lists' in her hand. "I have some things to go over with you."

Jack – and Dani, who had arrived a few minutes before – had intended on having an intimate breakfast together, only to find April in business executive mode. They exchanged looks that said 'What, again? _Now_?' but meekly complied. After all, sometimes you had to pick your battles. They had learned that when it came to their upcoming wedding, April usually meant business…and surprisingly enough, she seemed to know what she was doing! It wasn't like April was trying to make decisions _for_ them. She merely made sure that decisions were made, and in a timely manner.

However, did she have to do it during _breakfast?!_

"What is it?" Dani asked warily.

"Flowers?"

"Flowers?" Dani echoed, raising her eyebrows. "I thought we were all set on flowers."

April turned slightly pink. "I know, I know, don't worry; we ordered the flowers for the church together. I've confirmed that they'll be delivered to the church – and the reception hall – in time for everything to be set up. And the bridesmaids' bouquets are all set, and the guys' boutonnieres, and I added Bella's wrist corsage. But there's one last, minor little detail: which bouquet did you choose? You were down to two, last I heard. These." She handed Dani two pictures, one a vivid spray of bright red roses, the other a cascade of white roses, stargazer lilies and dendrobium orchids, with greenery and silvery accents.

Dani and Jack looked at them. After a moment Jack gave a shrug, smiling. "I think they're both nice; you choose," he said.

Dani didn't hesitate. She handed back the picture of the white lilies and roses. "This one. I love this one. That's what I want."

April nodded, smiling. She made a note on the photo, and another one on her clipboard. "Now…the cake has been ordered, and will be ready on time – or so I've been promised. Dresses – well, you found yours ages ago. It's supposed to be ready to pick up on Monday, don't forget. The rest of us have our final fittings the following Thursday – and we'll all look like dreams! Bella said she found a dress that coordinates with ours, and is having shoes dyed to match."

Jack, listening, had to restrain himself to keep his smiles from turning into undignified grins. It had taken a wedding – _his_ wedding – to turn his tomboyish, independent little sister, whose idea of 'dressing up' had meant a clean pair of jeans, into this _fashionista_ with an eye for every detail. He blinked, trying to catch up with April's nonstop spiel.

"…and the tuxedos are ordered and were fitted, right? And you decided on cummerbunds and bow ties – right, Jack? Jack? Right?"

"Uh – yes, uh-huh." Jack twined his fingers with Dani's and lifted her hand to graze a brief kiss on the back. "They're that green slice color."

"Apple Slice!" The reproving cry came in unison from both April and Dani.

"Right, Apple Slice. But…uh…isn't that green?"

"Yes," Dani said patiently, "but it's a beautiful lightish green that's not too light or too dark, and it deserves to be called by its correct name."

Jack valiantly managed not to roll his eyes at this, and felt very proud of himself for his restraint. He inwardly wondered if they'd lost their minds – his fiancée and his sister, that is – not himself! "Go on, sis," he prodded. He had other things to do today, after all, such as having breakfast with Dani.

"Bella says Marco's is ready to do the catering for both the rehearsal dinner and the reception, even if Enrico has been griping about it ever since he learned of it. He's fond enough of Bella to go along with whatever she wants – although I'm not sure I'd want to be around him the day of the wedding, and I haven't even met the man! His reputation precedes him." She grinned. "Fortunately, he's not coming with the catering team that's bringing the food; he's staying in New York."

"Bella was so sweet to offer that – I love the food at Marco's. We've eaten there a couple of times when we were in the city, and it was yummy…and I know they do not do event catering! This is a one-time-only deal!" Dani squeezed Jack's hand.

"Their chicken Parmesan is to die for," Jack conceded, freeing his hand so that he could loop an arm about his bride-to-be. "And I can't even pronounce what Dani ordered last time…"

"Never mind that," April rebuked, waving her clipboard at him. "One very important detail here: have you two finally decided on where you're going for your honeymoon? Or are you still playing games with me about it?"

The two exchanged smirks, but didn't say anything.

April huffed impatiently. "I'm not asking just to be nosy, you know! I'm trying to HELP you! Your wedding is less than three weeks away and you'll never get reservations anywhere if you don't step on it! Or…okay, maybe you didn't want me to know…?"

Dani laughed and relented. "Yes, yes, we've decided. It wasn't that we didn't want you to know; we were trying to save you more work. Don't worry; we've already made reservations at a lovely little place in the Dominican Republic. Sand, surf, beaches, lovely little shops, places to go parasailing and snorkeling and diving – and unbelievably romantic settings. What's not to love? Although I will admit, it took some discussion – we couldn't make up our minds between that and Jamaica."

April heaved a sigh of relief and made a checkmark on her clipboard. "About time," she muttered. Then, "I thought you were considering St. Thomas?"

"We thought about it," Dani admitted. "But most of the Caribbean tropical islands have a lot of things in common, and—"

"And the D.R.'s less expensive," Jack put in.

"And it's plenty romantic for us both," Dani concluded with a laugh.

April sighed a little. "I'd love to go to the Caribbean," she said, a trifle wistfully.

"Sis, I love you dearly, but you are not coming along on our honeymoon!"

She burst into laughter. "I know that! I wasn't hinting! Besides, I'm looking forward to some peace and quiet around here while you're gone. But…some time…it would be nice." She stared dreamily past them out the window for a moment, then returned her gaze to Jack and Dani and smiled mischievously. "Just remember to bring me back a present!"


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 12

Katy Shaw sat in the guestroom of her uncle and aunt's home, her attention riveted on the television screen where a DVD was playing. She felt almost…happy, at least for the moment. There weren't any of the older girls hanging around – chattering and fluttering about Callie's upcoming wedding or talking about college things that she, Katy, had no knowledge of, and even less interest in. She hadn't seen hide nor hair of Jonathan or Steve this morning, either, and figured _that_ was due to the bachelors' party the previous night. Good riddance! A light tap on the closed bedroom door startled her. "Yes?"

The door opened, revealing her cousin. Callie smiled. "Hi, Katy. Can I come in?"

"It's your guestroom," Katy mumbled ungraciously, then feeling a little ashamed of her surliness, added, "sure, come on in."

Callie seated herself on the bed beside the younger girl and gazed at the television screen for a few moments. " _High School Musical_?"

"Um…" Katy peeked at her from the corners of her eyes, cautiously, then nodded. "Yeah. Ashley Tisdale."

"I haven't seen any of it before. I think the last movie I went to was last summer; we always seem to be busy with other stuff at school. Is this the second one?"

Katy nodded again. "It's good, but I think the first one was better."

Callie smiled. "Sequels usually aren't as good as the original movies, for whatever reason."

They watched the movie in silence for a few minutes, before Callie spoke again, calmly changing the subject completely.

"Katy – will you tell me something?"

"Um…I guess."

"What do you really think about the wedding?"

"What?" Katy eyed her suspiciously. "What do I think about it? I don't know." She shrugged, a move that reminded Callie of some of her friends' younger siblings – an 'I don't care' gesture that teenagers seemed to excel at.

Callie considered her next comment carefully before she made it. Katy didn't seem openly hostile at the moment and Callie wanted to keep the status quo. "I'm really glad you were able to come and be part of my wedding and help," she said quietly but sincerely. "I realize you had to give up things to do it – and you'd probably much rather be home, with your friends, and doing stuff you like to do. But I'm very grateful that you were willing to come. I don't have any other close family – no sisters or brothers. Family-wise, you're the closest thing to a little sister I've got! I kind of wish we'd seen more of each other, growing up. Despite the age difference, we might have had some fun together."

Katy looked dubious at that. "We're five years apart in age," she pointed out.

"Hey, when you were five and I was ten we could have played dolls and dress-up," Callie smiled. "I think that would have been fun!"

Katy considered the idea and found herself smiling too. "You liked dolls and dress-up?"

"Yes, but not just dolls. We could have climbed trees and ridden tree-limb horses and made tree forts and I could have read books to you."

"That does sound nice," Katy conceded. "I used to read to Madison sometimes. She's old enough to read to herself now, though."

"See?" Callie said gently. "We could have been friends…and it hasn't been all that long ago that I was fifteen. I remember what it was like. Including things like pimples."

Katy looked astounded. "You? You had pimples?" She stared at Callie's smooth skin enviously.

"Oh yes. When I was fourteen they were awful It was over a year before we found a prescription medication that actually worked. I still use it occasionally – not as often as before." She winked. "I've been using it pretty regularly for the past few weeks, to make sure I look good for my wedding."

"Maybe it's a family thing…genetic," Katy suggested tentatively. "And…could you maybe talk to my mom about whatever it is you use? Maybe she'd get me some…"

"I'd be glad to. And if that doesn't do the trick, there are others that might. As for it being genetic, I've always wondered about that – but I asked Mom about it and she denied it."

Katy laughed a little. "My mom blames it on Dad's side of the family."

"Well, now we know who to blame," Callie sighed. "Our fathers!"

They watched _High School Musical_ a while longer in companionable silence.

"Katy," Callie said at last, "I have an apology to make to you. I really did think you had something to do with taking my little Bible. I know now that you didn't, and I'm sorry I suspected you."

Katy looked surprised at that. She nibbled on her lower lip for a moment. "It's okay," she said at last. "I was being a brat, and it's no wonder you thought I'd taken it. I just…I didn't want to be here. I wanted to be home with my friends, hanging out, like you said. I thought you and your friends were all so…old. I didn't even give you a chance. I just shut you out, all of you, and told myself you all were stupid, and snobbish and…and that Jonathan was dumb, and Steve, and…"

"Mmm-hmm. I sort of figured that out."

"I'm sorry too," Katy said in a small voice. "Jonathan's not dumb. And he's really good looking. And he loves you so much. I'm glad I got to meet him, and I'm sorry now I've been so rude to him and the rest of your friends. Steve's really cool, and he's tried to be nice to me..."

"I think Jonathan will understand," Callie said with a little smile. "He's an understanding kind of guy."

"Callie…can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Callie tried to look encouraging.

"Was it…easy to fall in love? Or – or did you have to, I don't know…work at it?"

Callie couldn't restrain a smile, but it wasn't a condescending or ridiculing one. She thought about the question for a few moments. "Well…I've been in love twice. The first time was easy. The second time…was harder. I still had some feelings for my first boyfriend. And I hadn't known Jonathan as long, and I didn't think I wanted to get serious again right away. But after awhile, after that initial period, I decided that falling in love and getting serious with Jonathan was exactly what I wanted to do."

"You're lucky," Katy sighed.

"Very…but hey, you'll have it too. It didn't happen when I was fifteen, you know – at least, not the 'for keeps' one! You just have to be patient. When the time is right you'll meet the right boy." Callie laughed a little. "I'm not meaning to sound like your mom, or anything. Just give it time – and don't settle for just any boy!"

"You sound a little like Mom," Katy admitted, "but it's different coming from you."

They settled back and quietly watched the movie. When it ended, Callie gave her young cousin a little hug and stood up. "I suppose I'd better go and see if Jonathan and Steve are alive yet – and if they're up to having lunch!"

Katy reached up to return the hug. "Thanks, Callie. I just want you to know…I am happy to be in your wedding, and I'll do anything I can to help with it, now, that you want me to. And…I'm really glad you found someone to love."

#####

"Ve haf vays of makink you talk, Joe Hardy!"

Vanessa reached for her boyfriend, fingers extended menacingly towards his ribcage, as Joe scooted away from her, along the couch as rapidly as possible. "Now, give!"

"Not gonna!" Joe scrambled to his feet and sprinted in the direction of the kitchen with Vanessa in hot pursuit. "We promised we wouldn't tell, and we won't!"

"Now, why in heaven's name would you do a thing like that?" Megan inquired from her seat at the kitchen table where she was drinking bottled water and nibbling on one of Laura's peanut-butter cookies. "You knew we'd want to know what happened with that Bible!"

"Client confidentiality," Frank supplied. "That's what Callie wanted, and that's what she's getting." He swooped down behind Megan and wrapped his arms about her, pinning her arms to her sides so that she couldn't reach her mouth with the cookie. He leaned forward and managed to snag a bite of it, grinning at her vehement protests.

"That's my cookie, Frank! Get your own!" She struggled to free herself, to no avail.

"It was yours. It's mine now." Frank kissed the back of her neck and released her.

"Hmph! Here, I don't want this any more." Megan gingerly handed him the remains of the cookie and reached for a fresh one for herself.

"You wouldn't want us to betray a client's confidentiality, would you, Red?" Joe smirked complacently as he gathered up several of the cookies for himself.

Megan glared at him, stymied. Either a yes or no answer got her nowhere.

"Why wouldn't Callie want anyone to know who took the Bible?" That was Bella, who had instigated the whole Feminine Inquisition a few minutes earlier. She was standing in front of the refrigerator, pouring herself a glass of milk. "Was it someone we know?" She pointed at Vanessa, dramatically. "Confess, Vanessa, it was you all along!"

"It's really none of your business who took it," Frank pointed out reasonably. "You're just plain SNOOPY, Bella!"

"I am NOT a cartoon beagle," Bella shot back, and Frank broke up, laughing.

"Look, Tink – and you two, too," Joe began to explain, for the third time, "Callie doesn't want anything to affect her wedding, okay? That's all there is to it. We got the Bible back, things can go on as planned. If Callie isn't going to hold a grudge against the thief and doesn't want it to be a topic of conversation, then we sure aren't going to say anything either!" He patted Bella on the head, a move he knew was certain to infuriate her. "Nice puppy." She bared her teeth and snapped at him, growling.

"You could tell us," Vanessa muttered, "if you wanted to. We're trustworthy, aren't we? So it's someone involved in the wedding, then?"

"Didn't say that, did we?" Frank reprimanded the tall blonde. "And we can't tell you, trustworthy or not."

"If it would affect the wedding for us to know, then it has to be someone in the wedding party or closely associated with it. Was it her cranky cousin Katy after all? I know you suspected her!"

Frank and Joe both rolled their eyes in mutual exasperation. "It wasn't Katy," Frank said, "and that's all we're going to say about it. So drop it, okay?"

"Look, girls, we know you're curious, but we can't tell. Not now, anyway. Maybe after the wedding is over and done with and everyone's left town – how's that?" Joe bargained.

"Oh brother," Bella complained. "Do you have to be so conscientious?"

"Yes. We do," Joe said. "It's because we're so grown up. Aren't you proud of us?"

Bella tossed her blonde curls. "If you're grown up, I'm Aunt Jemima!"

"Auntie!" Joe moved in again and wrapped his arms about his tiny cousin. "How I love your buttery maple goodness! Can I have a pancake!?"

Bella punched him in the stomach and freed herself. "I'm going upstairs to call Tony," she announced in a lofty tone, and picked up her glass of milk. She exited in as dignified a manner as she could manage. The last they heard from her was an eloquent "Children!" that wafted down just before the guestroom door closed emphatically.

The boys burst out laughing and high-fived each other. Megan and Vanessa shook their heads in despair.

"She excels at those haughty exits, doesn't she? But this time she's right, you know," Vanessa observed.

"I know," Megan agreed, "but they're our children."

"Your children? I beg your pardon?" Frank interposed. Both girls ignored him.

"True, very true…Well," Vanessa tactfully changed the subject, "What do you guys want to do for the little-more-than-an-hour I have to spare before I have to get over to the Gardens for Callie's wedding rehearsal? And Joe, you're meeting me at the restaurant for dinner afterward, right? Seven o'clock!"

"Sure thing, babe – and I know exactly what I want to do." Joe waggled his eyebrows suggestively as he swept her up into his arms and kissed her soundly. He carried her out of the room and into the living room, never breaking the kiss. Vanessa didn't even struggle.

"Sounds good to me," Frank agreed. He turned Megan around in his arms so that she faced him – and followed his brother's example.

###

Not much in the way of sensible conversation was heard from either couple for the next hour.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

Thank you so much to Jilsen, Cherylann, Max2013, Jilsen and Sarai for the reviews and comments, which are SO appreciated!

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 13

Late Sunday morning Bella tiptoed down the stairs, attempting to be as quiet as possible. She hadn't heard sounds of anyone stirring when she'd awakened, although surely her Aunt Laura and Uncle Fenton wouldn't still be asleep at 10:30, would they? After all, Callie Shaw's wedding reception hadn't lasted _that_ late! The boys…yes, it was likely they weren't up yet. When she and Tony had left the party, Joe and Frank and Vanessa and Megan were still going strong, dancing to the beat of the DJ's music on the portable dance floor laid out on the grass. Bella wouldn't have minded staying longer, but Tony had to return to New York City today, and wanted an early start. He'd merely driven back to Bayport for the wedding. Bella herself was going back today as well, but not as early as Tony intended.

She peeked into the kitchen, and found no sign of her aunt and uncle, but there was a pot of coffee emitting its rich fragrance, and an enticing aroma of cheese and bacon and eggs. She peered into the oven and discovered Laura's delicious breakfast casserole, a couple of sections already removed, keeping warm. Happily, Bella served herself some, poured orange juice and coffee, and decided to take her breakfast outside to eat on the deck.

There she found Laura and Fenton, who had evidently had the same idea, and were sipping coffee and watching the neighbors' cat stalk something in the bushes.

"Good morning, sweetie," Laura smiled, and Bella returned the greeting, sitting down at the wooden table. "Did you get enough sleep?"

"Plenty. Yum, this is so good! What's that cat doing?"

Fenton chuckled. "Fuzzy? We think she's chasing grasshoppers." As he spoke the cat suddenly leaped straight up in the air, batted at something and dropped back to the ground, apparently clutching something in its paws.

"Fuzzy? Its name is Fuzzy!?" Bella rolled her eyes.

"Hey, don't blame us; we didn't name it."

They watched the cat awhile longer, amused by her antics. Finally she disappeared through the bushes, returning to her own yard. Fenton sighed and stood up.

"Sunday or not, I have some work I need to get done."

"You don't have to go anywhere, do you?" Laura asked, frowning slightly.

"No, just things I need to do here." Fenton bent and kissed the top of his wife's head lightly, then went inside, carrying his coffee cup with him.

"It's practically lunchtime and the boys haven't even had breakfast yet," Laura mused, looking at her wristwatch. "Shall we make them get up or just let them sleep as long as they want?"

Bella's eyes sparkled with wicked intent, but she managed to curb her instincts. "We might as well let them sleep," she said off-handedly. "But I hope they wake up before I have to leave!"

"I thought you weren't going home until later this afternoon." Laura got to her feet and picked up the empty plates and glasses.

"Well…maybe about three." Bella rose, carrying her own juice glass and coffee cup, and followed her aunt into the kitchen. To their surprise they found both Frank and Joe there, dividing up the remains of the breakfast casserole. "We didn't think you two were up yet!" Bella exclaimed.

"Couldn't resist the smells coming from down here," Joe grinned. "Nobody wanted any more of this, right?" he added, setting the empty baking pan in the sink and running water in it.

"Apparently not," Laura said ruefully. She had _thought_ she might get some leftovers out of it, but that was evidently an unfulfilled hope.

Bella looked around the room, seeking something she couldn't locate. "Where's the paper?" she asked, at last.

"You know, I forgot to bring it in! I must have been sleepier than I thought," Laura admitted.

"I'll get it," Frank offered, the first words he'd uttered since a brief 'Morning,' when his mother and cousin entered the room. He left the kitchen, returning in a moment with the bulky Sunday edition of the _Bayport Gazette_ in his hands. "Why so interested in the local paper, Bella?" he asked, as the girl seized it and pulled out the Arts and Living section.

"Because," she muttered absently, "Liz Webling said she was going to pull some strings and get Callie Shaw's wedding write-up in today's issue, instead of it being in three or four weeks from now. I want to read about it, since we were there!"

"But we were there," Joe echoed, exchanging blank looks with Frank. "Why would you want to…" He stopped, for Bella had pounced on a page and was shaking the paper out and folding it into a manageable rectangle with avidity. "Uh…Tink, you weren't going to, uh…read it aloud…were you?"

"Oh yes," she sighed blissfully. She cleared her throat and began:

"'Shaw-Brooks nuptials held in outdoor setting' – that's the headline. 'The Gardens at Bellewood was the scene of a picturesque wedding Saturday afternoon when Callie Nicole Shaw married Jonathan Cramer Brooks. The bride, only daughter of Edward and Moira Shaw of Bayport, was attired in a princess-style, floor-length gown with a scoop-necked top of Schiffli lace, accented with sequins and beads flowing down the bodice, and short sleeves, also made of Schiffli lace.'"

Joe groaned. "Of WHAT?"

Bella eyed him severely over the top of the newspaper. "You heard. 'Her tiara featured an elbow-length veil and sparkled with genuine Swarovski crystals, brilliant rhinestones and a mixture of clear and pink beading, and was formed of five crystal flowers atop a sterling silver band.' " She sighed happily. "Her tiara was almost as pretty as Dani's is."

Laura had sat down to listen, with a fresh cup of coffee. "It was beautiful," she agreed.

"Swar-what crystals? And how is that different from the clear beads?" Frank muttered to his brother, who shrugged.

Bella took a sip of juice and resumed reading. " 'She carried a bouquet of rosy pink lilies and pink roses, accented with trailing ivy stems. Along with her flowers, the bride carried a tiny Bible, an heirloom piece which has traditionally been carried by the brides in her family since the early 1900s. The maid of honor was Miss Jennifer Ross, of Pueblo, Colorado, and the bridal attendants were Miss Elizabeth Webling of Bayport, and Miss Vanessa Bender, of Bayport, who were attired in tea-length halter dresses of light pink nu-georgette with cotton-candy-pink sashes of matte satin. Their headpieces were headbands featuring pink fabric flowers with white trim, accented with pink and crystal beading.' "

"Vanessa's cat Thistle tried to eat her headband," Joe offered. "Van was sure it was ruined…but it looked fine to me!" He grinned. "Didn't hurt the cat, either."

"Did you notice anything wrong with Vanessa's headpiece?" Laura inquired of her niece. "I certainly didn't!"

Bella shook her head and continued reading aloud. " 'The bridesmaids' bouquets consisted of three long-stemmed grand pink roses, tied with wired pink taffeta ribbon. The flower girl, Madison Shaw, cousin of the bride, wore a floor-length sleeveless dress with an ivory lace bodice over pink matte satin, and carried a small ivory basket decorated with pink bows and sequins, filled with pink and white rose petals.' "

"Have you noticed that the overwhelming color is pink?" Joe hissed to Frank. "Pink, pink, pink!"

Laura gave him a stern look. "You seemed to like it well enough on Vanessa yesterday," she pointed out. "And if you really object to hearing this, Joseph, you may leave the room. But leave your breakfast here."

Joe subsided – turning a bit pink himself. Frank smirked, glad that he'd held his tongue.

" 'The groom, groomsmen, best man, and fathers of the bride and groom were attired in Ralph Lauren classic black tuxedos with white shirts and silver-gray vests. Their boutonnieres were formed of a pink rosebud, pink tulip and lavender limonium…'" Bella paused, wrinkling her brow. "Lavender what? I've never heard of limonium. Have any of you?"

"Sounds like linoleum," Joe snickered. "Lavender linoleum…"

"Nope, never heard of it," Frank averred, "and I didn't get close enough to any of those guys to inspect their little flower bunches, either!"

" 'Mr. Brooks' two brothers, Marcus Brooks of Palo Alto, California, and Terrance Brooks of Champaign, Illinois, acted as groomsmen." She stopped and burst into laughter. "Brooks Brothers! Shouldn't they have had tuxes by Brooks Brothers, rather than Ralph Lauren?"

Her listeners had to laugh at that; Bella had a point.

Bella took a deep breath and plowed on. " 'The best man was Steven Hayes, of Boulder, Colorado. Moira Shaw, mother of the bride, wore a deep blue, A-line tea-length chiffon dress with elbow sleeves for her daughter's wedding. Carole Brooks, mother of the groom, chose a purple Empire-waist tea-length dress with pleated and shirred accents.'"

"Moira looked absolutely lovely," commented Laura with a smile.

"Mmm-hmm, she did. 'The bride was given in marriage by her father. The Reverend Shelley Keene performed the double-ring ceremony. Music prior to the ceremony was provided by the Bayport High School Camerata String Ensemble—' "

"Who aren't anywhere as good as Allison and her crew," Joe interrupted.

"Well, you wouldn't expect them to be," Bella reproved. "Let's see, where was I? 'Photographs were provided by Wedding Memories Photography of Bayport. The reception was also held at The Gardens. Handling the guestbook and receiving the gifts was Katy Shaw of Southport, cousin of the bride. The wedding cake was three-tiered and had white frosting, with pink frosting flowers and accents, and was cut by the bride's aunt, Ms Emma Beaudry of Los Angeles, California, assisted by Miss Heather Patterson of Basalt, Colorado.'"

"So Heather ended up cutting cake at the reception?" Joe mused.

"No, I think she was just handing around the plates," Bella said sagely.

"It was nice to see Emma again," Frank commented. "She hasn't changed much since we last saw her."

Bella eyed him briefly, evidently considering asking just _how_ they were acquainted with Callie's striking aunt, but changed her mind. " 'Distinguished guests included Mr. and Mrs. Charles Morton and Chet Morton, Mr. and Mrs. Stefan Prito, Tony Prito and Bella Scarpetti of New York City' – hah! Look at that, would you! I'm a 'distinguished guest'! Um… 'Mr. and Mrs. Fenton Hardy, Joe Hardy, Frank Hardy, Ms. Megan Wright, Chief of Police Ezra Collig and Mrs. Collig, Mr. and Mrs. Barry Hooper, Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Shaw of Southport, Gary and Janet Shaw of Runner's Harbor, Barbados, Adam Shaw of Waterboro, New Hampshire, Stan Shaw of Crosscut, Oregon, Ms. Andrea Bender, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Webling, and Donald West.' Wow, there were a lot more people there, but we're on the distinguished list! Yay!" She adjusted the newspaper and continued on: " 'After a honeymoon at Cape Cod, the newlyweds will make their home in Boulder, Colorado, where both are students at the University of Colorado. Mr. Brooks is a member of the Buffaloes varsity football team.' " Bella laid down the newspaper and took a long drink of juice to soothe her throat. "Oh my, what a nice article!"

"No pictures, though." Laura craned her neck to see the newspaper page. "If it hadn't been a rush job there probably would have been a wedding photo."

"I can live without the picture in the paper, I took a bunch of digital ones anyway," Bella confessed. "But I like reading about it! It's like living it all over again!"

"The reception was fun," Frank conceded. He'd had a very good time dancing with Megan…and Vanessa, and Megan…and his mother, and Megan…and Liz, and Callie, and Megan…and Jennifer and Bella, and Mrs. Shaw, and Katy…and Megan.

"Are you going to be like this about Jack and Dani's wedding too?" Joe asked, hoping for a negative reply. He was doomed to be disappointed, for Bella replied:

"Like this? Heck no! We're all in that one – I'll be ten times worse!"

 _AN: In the list of guests, all those relatives of Callie's (other than Katy, Madison, and Mrs. and Mrs. Wallace Shaw) are canon characters from various Casefiles, just in case you don't recognize the names. Don West is also a canon character from a Casefile._


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

Always thankful for Cherylann, Max2013, Jilsen, sm203495 and Sarai, who faithfully post comments on the chapters.

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 14

TEN DAYS LATER

Frank and Joe were on the front lawn outside their home, tossing a football back and forth and enjoying the summer-morning sunshine. With Jack and Dani's wedding just four days away, they had more free time than usual – Jack had cut back the workload at Wayne's World this week, as well as the following two while he would be away on his honeymoon.

Frank spiraled a long pass, making Joe backpedal frantically and then turn around and run to make an over-the-shoulder catch. As he waited for Joe to recover and return the ball, Frank noticed a small pickup turn the corner of Elm and pull up to park next to the Hardys' property. A slender, shaggy-haired man emerged and started across the grass.

"Yo! Dudes!"

"MATT!" Joe charged across the lawn, apparently intending to envelop the newcomer in a full-scale tackle takedown. Matt, laughing, managed to evade the attack, pushed Joe away, and continued on towards Frank, holding out his hand.

"Matt! Great to see you! We didn't know you would be in Bayport today!" Frank clasped hands eagerly with their friend. "What's going on with you? How's things in New York City?"

"Good to see you too – and the City's good as ever," Matt replied, and reached behind himself to draw someone else forward; a thin young woman with razor-cut wispy dark hair and blue eyes who had gotten out of the pickup and followed Matt across the lawn. She appeared to be chomping on a wad of chewing gum. Medium-height, she stood just slightly shorter than Matt, who now wrapped a possessive arm about her shoulders. "Frank, may I present Macey O'Rourke?" he began formally, then continued, "Light of my life, owner of my heart, and the best damn singer in the state of New York." He grinned, peeking at Macey through the wayward strands of hair falling across his forehead. "Macey love, this is Frank Hardy – and his brother, Joe, the one on the ground. All-around cool dudes."

Macey laughed, extending her hand to Frank. "I've heard about you," she declared. "Matt talks about you a lot. I'm very glad to meet you."

Joe scrambled to his feet, having sprawled on the grass after missing his attempted tackle. He dusted off his hands on his jeans before offering one to Macey. "We've heard a lot about you, too. It's nice to get to meet you, finally." He added an energetic slap to Matt's shoulder which nearly sent the smaller man staggering. "Whatcha doing in Bayport already? I didn't think you were doing photographs until Friday at the earliest. Not that we aren't glad to see you, mind!"

"We came to talk to Dani and – what's his name, Jack, that's his name, right? Her beau?" Matt pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and studied it. "Jack Wayne."

Frank laughed. "Yes, that's his name. We work for the guy – we're quite familiar with it."

"Well, I wanted to do a walk-through with them of what they want for their wedding, and Macey needs to talk to them about the music. They said they were available, and I have the address, but my GPS stopped working on the way and I don't know how to find Dani's apartment. I figured you dudes could help. You could tell me how to get there." He grinned teasingly. "I was right, wasn't I?"

"Not only can we tell you," Joe said with a grandiose sweep of his hand towards his car, "we can show you. Hop in and we'll take you over, and then bring you back to get your truck afterwards."

"No way, man, I'm not going to ask you do to something like that," Matt protested. "Just tell me how to get there. Besides, it's unprofessional to bring along extras for an interview—"

"It's not an interview, Eckersley. They've already said they want you to do the wedding photos, remember? Besides, we need to see April, and we might find her there as well."

"April?" Macey asked curiously. "Who's April?"

Frank rolled his eyes expressively. "Jack's sister, the Wedding Planner From Hell."

"What, they have a bad wedding planner?" "Frank, that's hardly fair…" "I thought Dani said the sister was younger...?" Three voices responded at the same time, and Frank sighed in resignation.

"Okay, okay, I apologize to April in _absentia_ , does that suit you, bro? No, Macey, she's not bad, she's frighteningly good, and that's scary. Yes, Matt, she's younger – she's not even 18 yet. She's also organized as all get-out, and she makes everyone associated with the wedding toe the mark. You'll see."

Matt smirked. "Frank, dude, I am a professional, remember? I always toe the mark on a shoot!"

"He's just all over out there the rest of the time," Macey put in wickedly, then hugged Matt in apology.

"At any rate, let's take my car instead of Joe's – Joe, there are four of us and I have more room," he added, forestalling his brother's automatic protest. Joe opened his mouth, surveyed his car and then Frank's, and closed it without saying anything. "But – one slight problem," the elder Hardy admitted, "neither of us has ever been to Dani's apartment. However, if you've got the address…?"

Grinning, Matt tendered the piece of paper with Dani's address and telephone number on it. Frank and Joe conferred briefly, then nodded. They had figured out approximately where it was.

"So you've never met Dani or Jack yet, Macey?" Frank asked.

"No, but we've talked on the phone several times," the singer answered. "Nothing like leaving things 'til the last minute, huh? The wedding's in four days and we're just now deciding on the music!"

"It'll all be cool," Matt reassured her.

Frank pulled his car keys from his pocket and they all got into the Saturn, Matt detouring to his truck to pick up a couple of large photo albums. "The nice thing about going with me, as opposed to Joe," Frank commented as he slid into the driver's seat, "is that we'll actually get there in one piece!"

"Hey!" Joe scowled. "You drive like a geriatric. Matt and Macey want to get there sometime before supper."

"Joe, dude," Matt interposed from the back seat, "I've ridden with you both, remember? I've also ridden with Phil. Either of you is preferable to that."

The Hardys, who had likewise ridden with Phil Cohen through the crowded streets of New York City, subsided without further argument.

As he piloted the car smoothly through Bayport Frank glanced into the rearview mirror to catch Macey's eye. "Macey, I know you sang in London last winter, but what are you doing now that you're back?"

The dark-haired girl shifted her bubblegum. "I've got the summer off," she replied. "Or rather, I'm taking a couple of classes at Juilliard this summer, but not performing anywhere. I've already got a part in _Rent_ , starting in September, though."

"How hard is it to get a role like that?" Joe asked curiously, turning towards the back seat.

"It's not easy, and there's a ton of competition to go up against. I've had plenty of auditions that didn't go anywhere. Think _A Chorus Line_ and all those people competing for jobs. Now, of course, since I did that London gig, I'm starting to get a little more notice. That was really a big break. And I can't wait to start the new one!" Macey enthused.

Matt sighed. "Her professors are ticked, though, 'cause she keeps deserting classical opera for musicals. I'm just glad it's in the City. Having you gone for six months was the worst, babe. And you could have ended up with a touring cast instead." He interlaced his fingers with Macey's and held on tightly.

Remembering Matt's lonely depression the prior November while Macey was in London, Frank smiled, watching them in the mirror. He was happy to see his friend happy – and they made a cute couple, in their own offbeat fashion.

"And what all have you been taking pictures of, Eckersley?" Joe was still in pursuit of news. "Any hot swimsuit models? Lingerie ads? Exotic locales?"

Matt turned bright red and looked sheepishly at a giggling Macey. "No, and quit trying to get me in trouble! I've been busy, though. I did a big spread for the New York American Museum of Natural History in January, and I've done two for Macy's department store."

"Aha, models," Joe teased.

"Joe, hush; you asked, now let Matt talk," Frank reproved. Joe made a face, but settled back and obeyed.

"You've got a model fetish, man," Matt observed dryly. "Anyway, not models, because that's not really my shtick – I don't want to work with some of those self-centered inflated egoists. General shots of the store and displays, for their advertising circulars. Dishes and furniture and towels and pictures of perfume bottles, ya know?"

"You done many weddings?" Frank inquired.

"Some. A few. Mostly small ones, though. Nothing as big and elaborate as this one of Dani's. I'm stoked about it; I've always wanted to try my hand at a fancy one."

"Even though you'll have to deal with a lot of self-centered people with inflated egos?"

Matt laughed. "It can't be as bad as the professional models! And anyway, I want to do a good job for Dani, after the way she saved our bacon last November! I figure I owe her."

"I owe her," Macey put in softly, squeezing Matt's hand. "Anyone who saved you from being drowned, I owe big time."

"We owe her," Joe amended, "although she insists she was just doing her job, and any of the others would have done the same thing." He didn't care to dwell on the memory of Frank, Matt and Cherise LeGault being trapped in that cave on the cliffs by Barmet Bay and waiting for a slow death there, and hastily changed the subject again. "Macey, do you know what you're singing at the wedding?"

Macey shook her head. "Not sure yet. I have a list of wedding solos that I know, or have done before, and I can probably pick up pretty much anything fairly fast, if Dani and Jack have something special in mind."

"And so can Allison," Matt put in, "and she's bringing that set of Strad strings to play it on."

"Allison's accompanying you? Cool!" Joe grinned approval. Although not much for classical music, Joe made an exception in the case of Allison Lewis.

"Lots of music in this wedding," Macey went on. "Alli and the church organist/pianist are doing pre-ceremony music, and then the organist is doing the processional, and then I'm doing vocal work during the ceremony, with Allison playing for me, and maybe the pianist too, and the recessional is on the organ, and then I think they want me to sing some things at the reception, too. Lighter-type love songs," she laughed, snapping her gum. "You know, _Unforgettable_ , and _Because You Loved Me_ , and that sort of stuff. And who knows who'll accompany me on those!?"

"You'd get paid a pretty hefty fee for all that, wouldn't you?" Frank inquired, signaling and slowing to make a turn.

Macey smiled and looked at Matt. "Like I said…I owe her. We're both doing this on the house."

Frank parked in front of a two-story duplex and led the way to the apartment on the right. He knocked twice – and almost immediately it was opened by a smiling Dani Tanner, dressed in shorts and sleeveless shirt, her dark, blue-streaked hair tumbling about her shoulders.

"Frankenstein!" she exclaimed, "And Golden Boy! I wasn't expecting you, but it's great to see you. Get in here!" As they obeyed, Dani spotted Matt and Macey behind them. "Matt! You, I was expecting. And you must be Macey – I'm Dani; come in, come in."

They did so, Matt tapping Frank and hissing "Frankenstein?" as he brought up the rear of their little procession. They found Jack in jeans and t-shirt, slouched on a sofa in the living room and looking very relaxed and at ease. He did, however, get to his feet to greet their guests.

"Jack, this is Matt Eckersley, your wedding photographer – and a very good friend of ours," Frank began the introductions, "and your soloist, Macey O'Rourke. Macey and Matt, this is Jack Wayne. You've already met Dani," he added, smiling. Jack grinned in friendly fashion, reaching to shake hands with Matt, then Macey. Frank had a moment of panic, wondering just what Macey had done with her wad of bubblegum, since it no longer seemed to be in her mouth. He hoped devoutly that she hadn't parked it on the back seat of his car!

"Sit, sit." Dani was fluttering the least bit. They all did as requested, settling into chairs and on the sofa. "I've got coffee and lemonade and some bakery muffins. What can I get you?"

Jack asked for coffee, Frank and Joe requested lemonade, being thirsty after their football practice. Matt decided on coffee as well, and Macey took lemonade. They all wanted muffins!

"I'm glad to finally get to meet you," Macey said, once everyone was eating and drinking and Dani had finally sat down beside Jack. "We got lots done talking on the phone, but it's just not the same as actually meeting face-to-face. How are you holding up, with the wedding in four days?"

"I'm excited," Dani answered. "If I was having to do all the planning and organizing myself I think I'd be having a nervous breakdown, but as it is, I'm just…excited," she repeated, laughing a little. "And busy." She waved a hand around at her apartment. "We've been moving things from here over to Jack's – to our," she corrected herself, "house and trying to fit them in."

"I'm good," Jack drawled lazily. "I just do what I'm told and so far it's worked."

"Frank said that your sister is your wedding planner? Shouldn't she be here, since we're going to be discussing the music and photos?"

Jack snickered. "We're probably the only couple in the world that's had an officious teenager for a wedding planner, but April's surprised us with how effective she's been. She's done a good job, at least as far as I can tell."

"She's done a marvelous job," Dani said warmly, "and yes, she's supposed to be here to meet with you two. I guess she's running late. She was doing some errands with her boyfriend, Todd."

"We figured she might be here, and since she said she wanted to talk to us, that's why we came along with Matt and Macey," Joe explained their presence. Kindly, he didn't mention that Matt needed help finding the place.

"You guys might be kind of bored for awhile," Matt warned. "I've got to talk shop with these two, and so does Macey."

"We'll survive; don't worry about it."

Matt settled down with Jack and Dani, showing them the portfolio of photos he'd brought along – things he'd taken himself, and then samples from online sites with an assortment of wedding shots and poses. He promised to do a wide variety himself, for them to choose from, but since he hadn't yet seen the venue, he didn't know exactly what he'd be working with.

"If you have time, we can go over to the church this afternoon and you can check it out," Dani suggested. "Jack and I are both free. There's some very pretty spots outside the building that you might like for outdoor shots, too."

"I want lots of sunlight on my bride," Jack put in, grinning.

"Works for me; I have time," Matt agreed. "Mace, babe, that cool with you?"

Macey nodded. "That's fine." She smiled winningly. "Now that you have that settled, let me talk with Dani and Jack for awhile, stud, okay?"

Laughing, Matt vacated the seat between Jack and Dani, and Macey took his place, opening her own folder of sheet music and song lists. Jack and Dani bent close, paying strict attention to the young singer.

While they chatted, Matt, Joe and Frank talked softly on the other side of the room. At long last Frank looked at his watch and frowned. "I wonder what happened with April? She said she'd call and tell us where to meet her, and it's way past noon."

"Like I said before, she went to run some errands with Todd," Dani said. "Maybe it's taking longer than she thought. Don't worry, Frankenstein," she continued, patting Frank's knee, "I'm sure pretty soon the Master Drill Sergeant will blow in and give you your marching orders – and give Matt and Macey theirs!"

Frank was about to respond when the telephone rang – Dani's apartment phone, not anyone's cell.

"That's probably her now," Dani said, and moved to answer it. "Hello? Hey, April, we thought it might be – huh? What's wrong, honey? What's happened?" Everyone quieted upon hearing her words, and Jack sat up straight on the couch, his eyes fastened on his fiancée. She pressed a button on the phone, activating the Speaker function.

April's voice filled the room, sounding teary and shaken. _"Oh Dani…we – we've – been in an accident!"_


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

Many thanks to Cherylann, Max2013, Jilsen and Sarai for their kind comments!

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 15

April's forlorn words seemed to echo through the apartment, followed by gasps of shock and muttered epithets from the occupants. Macey and Matt frowned as well; even though they didn't actually know Jack's sister, their reaction was no less concerned than the others'.

"An accident! Are you okay?" Dani demanded sharply. "Are you hurt?"

" _N-no…no, we're…okay."_ April sniffled again. She still sounded shaken. _"S-somebody called…the paramedics, and…there're c-cops here. They called…a tow truck. T-todd's car is a mess. I don't th-think it's dr-drivable. C-can s-somebody come get us?"_

Jack was already on his feet, but Frank rose too, and laid a detaining hand on his friend's shoulder as he spoke.

"April? It's Frank. Joe and I'll come. Jack and Dani have guests – Matt Eckersley and Macey O'Rourke are here, to talk about the wedding, but Joe and I were just killing time, waiting for you. We'll head out right now, okay? You okay with the second team?"

" _Oh yeah,"_ April sighed, sounding relieved. _"That would be great, Frank. I forgot about…anyway, yeah, thanks. We'd – I'd – appreciate it."_

"Just tell me where you are, kiddo, and we'll be there ASAP."

April gave him the information and ended the call by saying that a police officer was wanting to talk to her.

Dani turned off the speaker and replaced the receiver in its cradle. "What a day," she sighed, "and it's still early afternoon! What else might happen?" She looked very shaken. "My maid of honor and our wedding planner in a car crash four days before the wedding…"

"Guys, thanks for stepping in," Jack went to put his arm about his fiancée. "It's okay, sweetheart," he added to Dani. "Nothing else will happen; everything's okay. And April said she – they – aren't hurt."

"No problem," Joe said. "We're glad to go."

"We'll have April and Todd back here in no time – or do you want me to take them home?" Frank queried.

"Whatever they feel like. Doesn't matter." Dani still looked upset.

Joe patted her shoulder sympathetically. "We'll call you if they decide not to come here; otherwise expect us when you see us. Matt, Macey, see you in a little while."

"Right, dude. Go on, go do the pick-up and delivery thing," Matt prodded. "Hardys to the rescue, as usual, right?"

"You got it, pal. As Tony would say, _ciao_."

###

At the accident scene, Frank parked the Saturn as close as he could find a parking spot, and he and Joe got out and approached the intersection on foot. Two vehicles impeded traffic; Todd's little VW Beetle was in obvious disarray, with the front end crunched in from the passenger side, where the front bumper of a second car was solidly wedged against it. Two police units blocked most of the intersection, their lights flashing, while an officer carefully directed traffic around the accident site. An ambulance was parked nearby, but the paramedics seemed to be preparing for departure without any passengers.

Todd and April were standing off to one side. Todd had one arm wrapped protectively around April, but both of them looked upset and shaken still. An annoyed-looking middle-aged man was talking to a police officer who was impassively taking notes.

Joe picked up speed as soon as he spotted the young couple, hurrying over and grabbing April in a careful hug, then very obviously checking her over for major injuries. "Hey, little kiddo, you sure you're okay?" He noted a reddening bruise on April's forearm, and a larger one already turning colors on Todd's right leg, and suspected the younger boy had hit the steering wheel with his knee.

April let out a weak laugh. "I'm sure. The paramedics examined both of us. Apart from some bumps and bruises, we're fine. It's just mostly Todd's car." Involuntary tears flooded her eyes as she looked toward the sadly-dented blue Volkswagen.

"You gave us quite a scare," Frank told them, taking a turn giving April a comforting hug.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Ah-ah, that's not what I meant. No need to apologize," he hushed her. "How'd it happen, anyway?"

Todd cleared his throat, speaking for the first time since the Hardys had arrived. Although he had known Joe from the high school baseball team, Frank was a relative stranger. "We were just driving along, in the second lane over from the right," he explained. "Our lane was moving, but the far right lane was stop-and-go because of traffic. People were waiting to come out of Juniper," he gestured toward the side street that fed into the more major one. "Somebody in the right lane stopped and waved that guy in, from what he said. Only he wasn't turning right, he was turning left, clear across both lanes. He banged into us before we even saw him, because he was completely blocked from view by the car to our right! Lucky thing we weren't going very fast – neither of us."

"And that we were wearing seatbelts," April contributed.

"But my car's pretty totaled," Todd lamented. "I have insurance, of course, and it wasn't my fault, but still..."

Loud engine noises, gears grinding and strident beeps interrupted their conversation as two tow trucks arrived at the accident scene and began maneuvering about.

"We need to get into the trunk of Todd's car," April said suddenly, sounding a bit panicked. "We'd picked up Jack's tux and it's in there – plus a whole box of those little bubble bottles, for the wedding reception! We can't let them tow Todd's car away with that stuff in it! We can't! What if we couldn't get them back?!"

"Okay, okay, settle down," Frank said soothingly. "Let's see what we can do." He moved over to talk with one of the police officers, who listened, nodded, and signaled to the tow-truck driver to hold up. Frank returned to their small group with the answer.

"He said they've already got their pictures and witness names and all that, and talked to you both, and you all have exchanged insurance information, so you can go ahead and get the stuff from the trunk and then leave. He'll have the towing company wait while we do that. Todd, can I have the keys?" Taking the keys, Frank endeavored to open the trunk, with little success. The trunk, being in the front of the car, was wedged closed.

Joe, seeing the difficulty, made a quick dash to Frank's car and retrieved a pry bar, with which the two Hardys managed to jimmy the trunk lid up partway. April and Todd reached in while Frank and Joe kept the lid pried open, and pulled out a plastic suit bag, followed by a partially-crushed box dripping liquid soap. Apparently the bubble bottles had suffered some damage.

April let out a wail. "There's bubble stuff all over Jack's tuxedo!"

"It's probably water-tight," Frank attempted to reassure her. "Don't worry about it, April. There's probably none inside on the suit. We'll get it back to Dani's and then see about getting the soap off and make sure it's okay inside. And if it is damaged, there's still plenty of time to get a replacement."

Joe was heading towards the Saturn, lugging the soapy box, and Frank hastened after him. "Joe, don't you dare set that down without spreading out the tarp! I don't need bubble liquid all over the trunk!"

Joe gave him a dirty look over his shoulder, but obeyed. April hurried over with the sudsy suit bag and laid it carefully on the tarp as well. "Trust Frank to carry a tarp in his car," she giggled suddenly. "You're always so well-prepared, Frank!"

Frank flushed. "Well, we never know quite what we might have to carry around," he defended himself. "Better safe than sorry." He paused, watching Joe, whose hands had become quite soapy, attempting to blow bubbles by making a circle with his thumb and forefinger and blowing through it. Joe's endeavors sometimes ended with a nice bubble, sometimes he ended up with foam splattered on his face, and sometimes nothing happened at all. "Okay, that's just weird."

"You're just jealous of my abilities," Joe retorted, managing another small bubble which floated over to pop on April's shoulder. She shook her head pityingly at the muscular blonde's antics.

"As if. So – you want me to take you home, Todd, or do you want to go over to Dani's with April? Or actually, April, do you want to go home instead?" Frank asked.

"I think I'd better go to Dani's," April decided. "I want to check on Jack's tuxedo while he's there. That way he can't blame me if it's ruined."

"I don't mind going with April," Todd smiled gamely. "As long as someone doesn't mind taking me home later."

"We'll work it out," Joe assured him. He found a dry rag in the trunk to wipe the soap from his hands, and the Hardys settled their two passengers into the Saturn and returned to Dani's apartment.

When they arrived, both Jack and Dani went into what April referred to as 'fuss mode.' If she'd thought Jack was bad, Dani, being trained for it, was ten times worse! Frank and Joe seated themselves beside Matt and Macey and settled back to enjoy the show. Since they were pretty sure that no one had been seriously hurt, Matt and Macey were having a hard time not breaking into outright laughter as they watched Mother Hen Dani and Father Rooster Jack.

"Should I be trying to take pictures of this?" Matt hissed to Frank. "Does it count as wedding preparations, or something? Darn, I don't have my camera along!"

Frank bit his lip, stifling his own amusement with difficulty.

"I didn't hit my head, why are you fussing with my head?" April demanded at last, attempting to elude Dani's efforts to check her pupils. "All I've got is this one bruise on my arm, honest! I'm not dizzy, I'm not sick to my stomach, I don't hurt anywhere else, I don't have whiplash…"

Jack, who was checking Todd over as thoroughly as possible, to the boy's acute embarrassment, turned around. "I'm your brother – and your guardian – and therefore it's my duty to fuss, little sis."

"You're not MY brother." Todd attempted a little defiance too, but Jack gave him a look that quelled any more remarks.

"His duty, my profession – sort of – and we were both scared; humor us," Dani said grimly, but her expression lightened at this show of normal behavior from her maid of honor. "I hope we can find something to cover up that bruise, some sort of makeup, maybe. You don't have sleeves to conceal it on your bridesmaid dress."

April cast a rueful look at her arm. "I hope so too. Maybe Bella would know of something…"

"Um…" Macey spoke up hesitantly. "I've got tons of stage makeup, back in New York, and there's something called Killer Cover that masks almost anything. I'll bring it back with me when we come on Thursday and you can try it, would that be okay? We might have to blend it with foundation to match your skin tone, but…"

"Macey, that would be wonderful! Yes, bring it, thank you, thank you; you're a lifesaver – oh! I almost forgot – Jack's tux and the bubble bottles!" Hurricane April darted to the front door, where Joe had draped the suit bag over the top of the box of bottles. "We need to get some towels or something, and wipe off the bag and make sure none of the stuff got inside on the tuxedo!"

"Okay, honey, okay, as long as you're sure you're all right—"

"Dani, if you or anyone asks me if I'm all right again I'm going to hurt them – and that includes you! You have been warned!"

Jack settled Todd into a chair and searched in the freezer for a cold pack to apply to his bruised knee while April and Dani carried the tuxedo bag off to the bathroom. Joe gingerly opened the box and he, Frank, Matt and Macey began extricating the undamaged bottles of bubble liquid and drying them off. They were happy to discover that only a few bottles had burst.

Eventually Dani and April returned, both looking relieved. "It's fine," April announced. "It was just all over the outside of the bag, but nothing got inside."

"And there weren't many of these broken," Joe replied, indicating the bubble liquid.

"That being the case, how about if Jack and I and Matt and Macey go over to the church," Dani proposed, "and then maybe out to the country club where the reception is going to be, so Matt can get an idea of what he wants to do, photo-wise. And we'll drop them back at your house when we're done."

"We can run April and Todd home," Joe volunteered. "You guys go on ahead and do what you need to. Matt, we'll see you back at the house whenever you get finished."

"We'll tell Mom to expect two more for dinner," Frank offered. "Or should we make it four more?" he added, with a mischievous look at Dani.

"Thanks, but no thanks," she declined, smiling. "Jack and I have dinner plans."

"Frank, dude, we didn't – we don't want to make more work for your mom!" Matt protested weakly. He remembered vividly how much he liked Laura Hardy's cooking.

"She's not expecting dinner guests," Macey put in, also looking a little flustered. "It would be an intrusion…an imposition…"

"Let's put it this way – if it's a problem we'll take you out for pizza or something," Joe offered a solution. "But I'll bet Mom will be fine with it. She'd love to meet Macey – and to see you again, although I can't understand why!" He dodged Matt's swipe at his head.

"Okay, okay," Matt let himself be persuaded. "See you later, then." He and Macey left with Jack and Dani, and there was sudden silence in the apartment.

Frank broke it. "April, you'd said you wanted to see us today," he reminded her, "and that's why we were here in the first place, trying to track you down. What did you want us for, anyway?"

She looked blank for a moment. "What was it, anyway? I guess it sort of got knocked out of my head. I know I wanted to talk to you about…what was it…? Oh, I remember now! I wanted to go over the schedule for the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner and the wedding – and that's going to maybe change, depending on when Matt wants to take pictures – because you are responsible for seeing that Jack gets places he's supposed to be on time."

"Us!" Joe yelped in dismay. "Kiddo, that's DAD'S responsibility! He's Jack's best man; we're just groomsmen!"

"Well, you and your dad, then," April conceded, "but you're easier to track down than he is! Please, guys, this is very important. I know my brother, and he definitely needs someone shepherding him through those two days."

Sobering, the Hardys looked at each other, then at her, and nodded solemnly. "We will," they chorused.

"If he'll let us," Frank added. "Jack's not all that easy to herd around, you know!"

"I know, I know…but it's not like I can get him places! I have to be with Dani!" she replied. A stern look settled on her freckled face. "And when are you and your dad going to pick up your tuxes?" she demanded. "I can't do everything, you know!"

Joe gazed heavenward. "Glory hallelujah – it's a miracle! Finally she admitted it!" He turned to Frank. "Make a note of it, bro – on this date, at this time, April Wayne actually admitted that she can't…do…everything!"

April responded the only way she could think of. She grabbed a pillow from the couch and hit him with it.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

This chapter is definitely a 'bridge' chapter while waiting for the next wedding, but you'll learn a bit about Dani's background in it.

Thank you so much Cherylann, Max2013, Sarai and Jilsen for your kindness in reviewing.

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 16

"Phil, aren't you excited? Or maybe I should say why aren't you excited?" Allison Lewis gave a quick glance at the passenger seat as she drove, trying to catch Phil Cohen's eye.

"Alli, it's a wedding. At the risk of sounding stereotypical, guys really aren't much into weddings – maybe even our own, I suspect, not that I'd know about that." Phil grinned at his girlfriend teasingly. "And maybe if this was a really close friend I'd be more into it. But I hardly know Jack Wayne and I've never met his fiancée! I'm involved because you are; no more, no less."

Allison sighed, conceding Phil's reasoning was sound. "You don't…um…mind being involved in it, do you?" she inquired anxiously. "I mean, you don't have to attend the rehearsal or anything like that, although I thought you were going to come with me to the rehearsal dinner afterwards…do you mind going at all?"

"No, hon, I don't mind going to the wedding, if for no other reason than that I want to hear you play and hear Macey sing…both of which will be phenomenal. And watch Matt do his thing with cameras, naturally. And as for the rehearsal dinner, you really think I'd miss a chance to have a free meal compliments of Marco's staff?!"

Only partially satisfied, Allison turned her attention back to her driving. She wasn't as familiar with the route from New York City to Bayport as Phil was, but since his car was in the shop having new brakes installed – a condition she, Matt and Macey had privately concluded stemmed from the way Phil attacked vehicular traffic in the crowded city – they had been forced to take her car. Phil had generously offered to drive; Allison had thanked him politely and declined.

They were expected at the Hardy home for a lunchtime cookout with an extended group of friends and acquaintances. Macey and Matt had been invited, but as Macey had a noon class, they were coming later in the afternoon. Bella and Tony would be there as well, and had left New York City earlier than Phil and Allison. Jack and Dani actually _wouldn't_ be there. Jack had let himself be coaxed into making one last quick cargo run, and Dani was frantically cleaning her apartment.

"I can't wait for the party tonight." Allison couldn't contain her exuberance for long. "It sounds like so much fun to have a sleepover at Vanessa's house with a whole bunch of girls! Plus, it gives us all something to do while you guys go off and have a bachelor party!"

Phil was rolling his eyes. "It isn't going to be much of a bachelor party with most of us underage. Matt and Mr. Hardy and the groom are the only ones attending it that are over 21."

"Can't you have fun without drinking?" Allison asked demurely, taking the freeway exit marked 'Bayport.' "You usually manage to have fun with me – or at least I thought you did – and I'm underage too."

"Well, sure, of course I have fun with you, and I suppose the guys can have fun without adding in booze, but…it's traditional!" Phil floundered a bit with the trap Allison had set, and gave up, realizing his argument was on the weak side.

Alli merely snorted.

Their arrival at the large stone house on Elm Street was greeted by enthusiastic cries of welcome, and Allison soon felt very much at home, surrounded by so many friends. Phil, Tony, Frank and Joe drifted off to one corner of the deck to catch up with each other's news. Fenton was manning the barbecue grill, laying out hamburger patties on the rack. Bella, Megan, April and Vanessa beckoned Alli to join them; they were helping Laura arrange side dishes of deviled eggs, salads, baskets of chips and hamburger buns, and a large platter of chocolate-frosted brownies.

Bella proudly displayed a large bowl of tossed green salad and a container of dressing. "I managed to talk Alphonse into fixing a salad for me to bring, and this is the specialty house dressing from Marco's," she confided.

"And here we thought you made it all by yourself," April teased. "Can you cook, Bella? I had to learn to feed Dad and Jack, once I was big enough to reach the stove – until then, Dad cooked."

Bella shook her head, laughing. "Foolish question!"

"If I owned a restaurant like Marco's I wouldn't cook either," Allison defended.

"I didn't think you cooked anyway, Alli, " chuckled Vanessa. "No, I take it back; Phil said you try occasionally – he said you do your best."

Alli rolled her eyes and shrugged helplessly. "What can I say, I'm a spoiled child! When I need a home-cooked meal I go to my parents' house and Mom feeds me. Otherwise I eat on campus."

"Van and I can't argue with that, since we both live at home," Megan conceded, her silvery laughter spilling out.

"I can cook – when I have to!" Vanessa protested.

"I did make Phil and Frank tuna fish sandwiches once – isn't that good enough?" Allison offered.

"Better than I've done," Bella admitted. "I showed Joe and Frank and Tony a box of cold cereal and told them to cope!"

"To be fair," Laura commented, laughing, "they were right above the restaurant and could go downstairs for something to eat."

"Bella, bring that plate of cheese slices over here, will you?" Fenton called out, "and put some on about half of the hamburgers. These are almost ready to go."

"There, see? He wants me to help cook! Be right there, Uncle Fenton." Bella obeyed the summons and hovered over the grill, meticulously laying out squares of cheese.

"Don't burn your fingers," Mr. Hardy cautioned, to everyone's amusement.

"Face it, Bella _mia_ , you're the ornamental type, not the practical," Tony offered a crumb of comfort to his girlfriend. "But I can cook – and you do ornamental so very well," he added softly, slipping an arm about her as she finished her task with the cheese slices.

The rest of the younger men joined their girlfriends as everyone filled their plates and settled in to eat. Conversation skipped about from topic to topic: the upcoming nuptials and a rehash of Callie's wedding, stories from Bella and Tony about happenings at Marco's…finally Megan asked Mr. Hardy about what he'd been working on lately.

Fenton, sitting with his long legs stretched out straight in front of him and nibbling on his third brownie, complied with a somewhat-edited tale of how he'd broken an embezzlement scheme at a pharmaceutical company. It included leaping around a warehouse and evading a forklift driven by a white-collar criminal who resembled Adolf Hitler.

Most of Fenton's hearers gasped in shock at the story; Laura, who had heard it before, shook her head in fond exasperation.

#####

"What do you suppose the boys are doing at Jack's bachelor party?" Bella mused. She looked around the room at her companions – who happened to be all the young women involved in the Tanner/Wayne wedding, apart from Dani herself, who wasn't there. They had gathered at Vanessa's for a 'hen party' to give themselves something to do while their male counterparts were out celebrating Jack Wayne's final two days of bachelorhood.

"Playing X-Box Live?" April suggested. "Jack's got some new stuff for that."

"Playing Wii?" was Allison's contribution.

"Watching – _ahem_ – videos," Macey snickered, garnering shrieks and blushes from the younger girls and knowing smirks from Megan and Vanessa.

"Sitting around playing poker and drinking," was Bella's sage assessment. "At least some of them might be drinking."

"They're stifled, with them all being so young – too bad Jack doesn't have a whole cadre of friends his own age, to party with," Vanessa commented. "I mean, it's not like Jack and Matt and Mr. Hardy can go off to a strip club by themselves—" She paused, laughing. "Well, I guess they could, and they might enjoy it, but what about the rest of the wedding party and adjuncts?"

"Phil's going to be 21 in September," Alli said, "but I don't think he cares all that much about going out and getting drunk just because he can."

"Word to the wise: if you want to party, wait until you're of legal age before you get married," Macey advised, with a saucy glance in Megan's direction.

The little redhead blushed hotly. "I'm not getting married any time soon," she declared. She bent her head, concentrating on applying an emery board to April's fingernails, and hastily changed the subject. "April, do you ever do anything nice with these nails? They look like you tighten screws with them!"

"I have, on occasion," April returned flippantly. "I fly airplanes, remember? Sometimes I have to tinker with their insides."

"With your fingernails? Try using a screwdriver, honey!" Megan unscrewed the top of a bottle of nail polish and tried the color on one nail; shook her head and wiped it off. "Vanessa, what other colors of polish do you have? We need to make Miss Maid of Honor, here, look like something other than an airplane mechanic."

Vanessa gestured to a drawer in her desk. "In there." She couldn't move because Bella was currently engaged in pinning her ash-blonde hair into an updo, head cocked consideringly and lips pursed as she surveyed her handiwork. "Face it, Bella, it's straight and it's going to stay straight, and no amount of fussing is going to put those pretty curls in it that yours has," Vanessa added ruefully.

"It doesn't have to be curly – although we certainly could get curls with a curling iron and a ton of styling gel and hairspray…ah, I've got it!" Bella's eyes sparkled with triumph. "I'll braid it and wind it into a chignon! And I can do curls down the front edges, so there. You'll look absolutely glam, Van!" She set to work.

"And the feathery thing you're all wearing will go right on one side," Macey agreed. She stood up. "Alli, what are you going to do with yours, if anything?"

"I don't need to look glamorous," Allison protested. "I'm sitting in the background playing the violin, not parading down the aisle like the rest of you – or standing up in front and singing, like you, Mace," she added, scooting hastily away from Macey's purposeful advance. "I'll just wear it like usual – now leave me alone!" she squealed in mock protest.

"Can you make mine look like anything but a mess of tangles?" Megan inquired wistfully as she examined bottles of nail enamel. "I had it straightened awhile back, and it was great, but it grew out and I haven't gotten around to having it redone – and now it's too late; the wedding's too close."

"Frank loves your curls," Vanessa reminded her.

"I know, I know – but I want to look gorgeous, not…cute!" Megan sighed.

"You just wait. I have talents none of you dreamed of," Bella promised rashly. "Maybe I can put it up in back and leave it loose in front, Megan. Sort of the same as Vanessa's. It would be elegant and formal – won't look like your usual style at all."

Encouraged, Megan returned to the nail polishes. She selected one, tried it, and nodded, satisfied. She set to work on April's nails.

"We need some entertainment," Allison suggested with a wicked look at Macey. "I'll bet Macey knows some – er – risqué songs she could sing for us." This suggestion was greeted with enthusiasm from all the girls, and Macey, grinning, stood up in front of the bedroom door.

"Well, sing on Broadway and you learn a lot of dirty lyrics, although I would do better with some accompaniment, but since Allison doesn't have any music with her…here goes!" She hummed a bit, finding the proper key, then launched into "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three" from _A Chorus Line_. By the end of the number they were all in hysterics. Megan's face was a brilliant scarlet, both from blushes and from laughing so hard. April was giggling into a pillow, her manicure abandoned and forgotten by them both.

"More! More!" "Encore!" "Bravo!"

Macey bowed deeply. "Thank you, thank you. That was pretty mild, actually. I know others…"

"Prove it!" Vanessa challenged wiping away her laughter-tears.

"You'll be sor-ry!" chanted Alli, who knew better.

Macey thought a moment, then began another song. This one didn't sound like a Broadway show tune, it was apparently a lively – and explicit – sea chantey. After listening to a few lines, Megan nearly choked, spitting 7-Up all over the place, and Bella was covering her ears, declaring _she_ was much too young and innocent to listen to this. Not one of them, however, asked Macey to stop singing, and Bella soon uncovered her ears.

"I warned you," Allison declared, when the song mercifully ended. Megan was ruefully mopping up her spewed drink, Bella was lying flat on the bed recovering from a fit of giggles, and Vanessa and April sank into chairs – they had been performing what appeared to be a very poor Irish jig. "Macey O'Rourke knows more dirty songs than anyone else I've ever met. I think she learned them in her cradle."

"Almost," Macey acknowledged cheerfully. "My dear, darling great-Grandpa Max was an old Irish sailor – in every sense of the word – and he started teaching me the songs he knew almost before I could walk. My mother was appalled when she discovered it, years later, but by then it was too late; I already knew them all..."

"You up for more, Macey?" Bella trilled. "We are!"

#####

"Grandma Bev!" Dani opened her arms wide. "Oh, it's so good to see you!" She hugged her grandmother tightly, the two of them oblivious to the numerous people streaming past them on both sides in the airport concourse. "How are you feeling? How did the knee surgery go?"

Beverly Tanner pulled back slightly, just enough to get a good look at her granddaughter. "It went just fine. It's good to see you too, sweetie. And you look so beautiful!"

Dani laughed self-consciously. "Me? In this?" She gestured to her jeans and t-shirt. "I should apologize for coming to pick you up dressed like this – but I was kind of busy." They drew apart and began to walk down the wide hallway. "Do you have any luggage to pick up?"

"No, it's all in here." Beverly patted the good-sized garment bag she carried. "It's amazing what you can cram into one of these things!"

"Let me take it…good, we can go straight to the car, then." Dani swept her with a quick look, taking in the cane Beverly leaned upon. "Or should I get a wheelchair? Can you walk that far?"

"Dani, pet, I'm not quite that feeble and decrepit! Yes, right now I need the cane, but it's more for stabilization than anything else. My surgeon is very pleased with the way the knee replacement went – he said I'm years younger than my actual age, so there!" Beverly nodded emphatically, giving her short hair a toss. There were only a few streaks of gray in the dark tresses, and Beverly paid good money to keep it that way.

Dani laughed and hugged her again, quickly. "Okay, Grandma, okay. No wheelchair! But tell me if you get tired before we reach the car…please!"

###

Forty-five minutes later they were settled on the sofa in Dani's living room with steaming cups of tea on the side tables and a plate of chocolate-fudge-mocha pie in each lap. Tea and pie had long been a tradition with Dani and her Grandma Bev. Luckily they were both blessed with metabolisms that burned up calories rapidly.

"Dani, this is simply delicious! Did you make it?" Bev licked her lips, savoring the smooth chocolate and coffee flavors.

"I wish I could say yes, but I can't," Dani admitted. "I bought it at a pie shop in the mall."

"If you had the recipe you could probably do it," Beverly assured her, with her usual confidence in her granddaughter's abilities. She looked around the tidy, spacious apartment as she ate. "You're a little short of furniture, aren't you?"

Dani laughed. "And it's cleaner than you expected, isn't it? Don't try to deny it. I'll have you know I spent all this afternoon cleaning it up for your arrival! The reason it's sort of bare is some things have been moved over to Jack's already. There's way more room there, and we've been working on that for several weeks now. The rest will get moved after the wedding – after we get back from our honeymoon, actually. My rent is paid through the end of the month here, so there wasn't any rush."

"I'm very anxious to meet your Jack. He sounds so nice when I've spoken to him on the phone."

"He's anxious to meet you too, and I can't wait for it myself."

"You're going to make him a wonderful wife, darling. It's hard for me to realize that you're old enough to be getting married – I keep thinking of you as my 'little' girl. And I'm so proud of you, and of what you've done with your life and what you've become. Not that I don't worry about you, considering your profession, mind you!" Beverly smiled tenderly. "Your daddy and mama would have been proud too – very, very proud."

Dani's dark eyes were a-shine with tears she didn't want to shed. "I miss them, and I always will…but nobody could have raised me better than you did."

"You were just so... hurt...after your mama died so soon after your daddy and David were killed …sometimes I despaired of ever getting through to you," Bev recalled. "I remember the first week you were with me, you wouldn't come out of your room unless I forced you, and then you'd slam the doors and refuse to talk to me, or to eat. I thought sure you'd starve to death before you'd give in."

Dani poked thoughtfully at her pie, then glanced from the corner of her eyes at her grandmother. "I sneaked out and raided the kitchen at night," she admitted, with a tiny smile curving her mouth. "I was kind of a little hellion, wasn't I?"

"So that's how you did it! Well, you had good reasons to be…and then, after you'd been there awhile you finally started to eat, and you talked enough to be polite. But you were still closed off. And you never cried – not where I saw you, anyway."

Dani nodded, still keeping her gaze fixed on the chocolate pie.

"Finally – you'd been with me maybe six months – you came into my room late one night and stared at me with those great big eyes of yours, and you just said 'They're really, really gone, aren't they?' I had to fight to keep from bursting into tears when you said that, and I told you yes, they were really, truly gone. And you jumped onto my bed and grabbed me and held on for dear life – and I hugged you back, as hard as I could, while you cried and cried – just cried your heart out."

Dani carefully placed her pie plate on the end table beside her cup of tea and then, as she had that long-ago night, flung herself into her grandmother's arms…holding on for dear life. This time she wasn't crying her heart out, but a few stray tears did escape, although neither woman would have admitted it.

Finally they sat back, both a tiny bit embarrassed at the rampant show of emotion. Tanner women just didn't 'do' that, as a rule. "And now you're going to go off and marry a handsome young pilot," Beverly chuckled. "A pilot! Doesn't that sound dashing, though!"

"He's dashing," Dani agreed, "and handsome. And kind. And…funny. I told you about how we met – and how he proposed!"

"Yes, you did, and I've been sharing that story with my friends ever since. You said he's having his bachelor party tonight? Aren't you worried about that? Is he a rabble-rousing sort?" Beverly sounded just a tiny bit concerned at this possibility.

"Jack a rabble-rouser? No, not really. Two of his attendants are underage – as are all of mine, come to think of it! – and most of the girls' dates as well, so there probably isn't much carousing going on. I didn't hear what was being planned, but it's supposed to be legal, or mostly legal, for their sakes. Besides, his best man is a detective. Nobody rouses rabbles around Fenton Hardy, believe me! And then there's April, Jack's little sister, my maid of honor. She'd tear Jack a new one if he stepped out of line."

Grandma Beverly slapped her knee – the good one – laughing heartily at Dani's descriptions. "They sound delightful, honey-lamb, they really do, and tomorrow can't come soon enough for me to meet them all."

Dani laughed too, then sobered a little. "I'm so happy. I really am. The absolutely only thing I could want to make my wedding day better – to make it perfect – would be to have Daddy and Mama and David here for it. I miss them – sometimes I don't think about them for days or weeks, and then all of a sudden something reminds me, and it just…hurts, because I miss them so much!"

Bev leaned over and hugged her granddaughter, much as she had that night when Dani was a lost thirteen-year-old trying to come to terms with her family members' deaths. "Now you listen here, Danielle love, and you keep this in mind: they are with you...right here in your heart. They'll be there at your wedding. You can count on it."


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

Many thanks to Cherylann, Max2013, Jilsen and Sarai for commenting.

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 17

Matt contemplated the front of the pretty church where Jack and Dani had chosen to hold their wedding. Park Street Church, as it was familiarly known in Bayport, was a traditional New England-style white building with a five-tiered steeple rising to a sharp point, complete with a section for bells, and four tall columns across the front. The attractive landscaping included both flowering bushes and trees. He walked around the building, judging angles and perspective and backgrounds with a keen eye.

"Oh yeah, very nice," he murmured to himself. "I can get some real good stuff here." He'd take some of Dani, solo, in her wedding dress, and pose her and Jack together too. Maybe some outdoor shots of the whole wedding party, if the light was right and he wouldn't end up with half of them squinting into the sunlight or staring blankly, trying _not_ to squint… Steps. He could put them on the steps, where Megan's lack of height wouldn't contrast so starkly with Vanessa's overabundance of it. "Nice," he repeated softly, nodding in satisfaction.

The front doors were open, and he could hear Macey inside the building, practicing with Allison and with the church organist, whose name escaped him for the moment, although he was sure he'd been introduced at some point in time. He heard them stop then start again, repeating a phrase until everyone was apparently satisfied, and smiled. Allison was a perfectionist; Macey somewhat less so, since one could get away with a little more vocally than on an instrument, but they both wanted this particular production to be letter-and-note perfect.

Matt was a little surprised at the location for the wedding. According to Macey, who somehow always found out these things, neither Jack nor Dani were what could be called practicing churchgoers, but for some reason they were united in their desire that their wedding be held in a house of worship, although _which_ one was a definite question. They'd soon found that most churches were happy to rent their facilities, for a fee provide an organist and a clergyperson, and it didn't matter if the couple in question were members there, members elsewhere, or nowhere at all. So they'd settled on this little mainline Protestant architectural gem and everyone was happy.

Matt took a few practice shots, figuring that having a nice traditional church building in his portfolio would never hurt, and let his mind wander a bit. He recalled last night's rehearsal and the dinner following, with a grin. The rehearsal had been fun, but April Wayne was another of those perfectionists, and having her acting as a wedding coordinator _and_ the maid of honor was just asking for friction, in his opinion, and she was well on her way to making herself and everyone else crazy. He suspected that Dani and Jack had wanted just a quick run-through to make sure people knew where they needed to be when, and let it go at that, but April put down her Nike-clad foot and demanded that everything be done _right_!

Cowed, the Hardys and their significant others had behaved very circumspectly. Matt had envisioned _Bella_ as being the mischief-instigator, but she demurely walked down the aisle pretending to light the candles attached to the pews and then the big candelabras in front. Tony and Phil, who were merely there as escorts of Allison and Bella for the rehearsal dinner to follow, huddled in a back pew where they were joined by Laura Hardy and Dani's Grandma Beverly, all making low-toned comments on the proceedings.

It was _Dani_ who caused the uproar.

While Jack, Fenton, Frank and Joe waited patiently at the front of the church, trying to remain composed, Dani first pranced down the aisle behind Megan, Vanessa and April, then tried a few tango steps. The third time, she added in a front flip halfway down, and followed that up by walking on her hands the rest of the way. Matt, cameras ever ready, had snapped picture after picture, including some of April's outraged face as she watched Dani's shenanigans.

The minister, who was a slim, elderly man with silver hair and a calm demeanor and the imposing title of The Reverend Doctor Edmond Henderson – who had said casually "Just call me Ed," when introduced – broke up completely at that, and laughed until he had to sit down on the front pew. No one was able to stay completely sober-faced, although Fenton managed it the best.

Finally Dani consented to 'do it right' and proceeded sedately down the aisle to join her betrothed…although she did whistle the melody of the processional, Clark's _Trumpet Voluntary_ to accompany her steps, insisting that she needed the music to time her pace.

The dinner itself, held in the church basement hall, was just plain fun, Matt recalled. The food catered by Marco's – several enormous pans of lasagna, trays of fresh green salads with the restaurant's signature salad dressing, fresh-baked bread and a chocolate torte for dessert – was superlative as always, and Bella happily accepted the numerous compliments, promising to relay them to Enrico and his staff. Matt's mouth watered just remembering it, and he contentedly thought of the leftovers he'd been allowed to take with him and store in the fridge at Phil's folks' house. It would make a great dinner tomorrow, when he and Phil were back home in New York…

After they'd eaten, Macey had produced several karaoke CDs she'd 'just happened' to pack, and wheedled Reverend Ed into setting up a microphone. She broke the ice by singing several numbers herself, to the great enjoyment of all, but she couldn't persuade Matt to try it solo, although he happily joined in on group choruses. Dani coaxed Jack into singing with her – after a couple glasses of wine – and to everyone's surprise they produced a credible version of the old Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra hit, "Jackson." Fenton, despite urging by his wife and sons, and Frank's assertion that his father could sing 'Great Balls of Fire" in the shower quite well, declared that he would 'run away and hide and never be seen again,' if forced to perform. The evening was topped by a group number featuring all 'the girls' of the wedding party performing "Leader of the Pack."

One glitch had occurred, though – something that could have been bad, so far as wedding plans went. Near the end of the evening Dani's cell phone rang. When she answered it, her brief responses and frowning countenance indicated something amiss. She ended the call looking very unhappy.

"What's the matter?" Jack had asked anxiously.

"That was the guy from Video Memories," Dani replied. "You know they're supposed to film the wedding ceremony tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I remember. We figured we'd have just the ceremony taped, and rely on Matt's pictures for everything else," Jack nodded.

"Well, there was a minor fire in their building tonight." Dani's lips were trembling. "It would be a fire, wouldn't it? Anyway, their equipment was damaged, and they're canceling. They can't do the videotaping!" She blinked, obviously fighting back tears.

"Oh, baby…I'm sorry, so sorry…" Jack put his arms about her and held her tight.

"It's too late to get anyone else," she gulped, hiding her face in his broad shoulder. "Now we won't have…the ceremony…taped at all. I know it's just…a detail, but…"

The bad news circulated through the crowd quickly. Matt had thought furiously, trying to recall anyone he knew in the video business that he might contact for this emergency. He came up blank. Staring thoughtfully around the room, his eyes lighted on his roommate, and a slow grin quirked one side of his mouth. "Phil! Hey, Phil, c'mere."

"Yeah? What?" Phil ambled over, Allison by his side.

"You have a video camera at your folks', by any chance?"

"Yeah, I think so. It's my dad's, not mine, but it's a nice little one. Not the latest model, but decent."

"You heard what happened with their videographer?" Matt indicated Jack and Dani with a tilt of his head.

"Uh-huh. Rotten luck."

"Think you could fill in?" Matt asked then, eyes twinkling.

"Huh? ME? I'm no videographer!" Phil's raised voice caught Dani's attention, and she looked at him with renewed hope in her dark eyes.

"Dude, you can set up a tripod and point the camera in the right direction, can't you?"

"Well, sure, but…" Phil looked around, flustered, as Dani, Jack and Vanessa converged on him and Matt.

"Phil – could you? Would you do it, please?" Dani implored.

"But…but…Dani, what if I screw it up? It could be worse than if you didn't have any recording at all!"

"Phil, I'll help you make sure all the settings are right, before the ceremony, and once it's set up, all you'll have to do is zoom in or out or pan around the room," Vanessa offered.

"Please, Phil?" Dani repeated.

Phil looked at her. He looked at Vanessa, who nodded encouragingly. He looked down at Allison, who smiled at him with confident pride. He turned his gaze on Matt, who had started all this. "I'll get you back for this, Eckersley," he warned, then turned again to Dani and Jack. "I'll do my best. I can't promise anything – but I'll do the best I can."

###

 _I'll bet not many wedding rehearsals are that much fun. Not the few I've seen, anyhow._ Matt smoothed down his black tux jacket, feeling very dapper. He'd dressed to blend in with the rest of the men in the wedding party, feeling fortunate to already own a tuxedo, one he'd purchased on sale several years before. He went inside the church and set his camera cases on a back pew, then took off the jacket and laid it beside them. Macey, Allison and the church organist were still rehearsing, so he tried to be unobtrusive as he began prowling again, searching out the perfect places to 'set' the formal photos. He hadn't been able to do this with the Bayport Country Club, of course, where the reception was being held; although they had done a quick walk-through of the banquet room, it hadn't been completely set up at that point. He'd have to do a fast look-over there, as soon as he arrived, and figure out more prime shots. Those would mostly be informal, though, and he'd be snapping pictures on the fly, so to speak. Harder, yes – but Matt enjoyed a challenge!

Hearing voices outside, he went out the main door and found Frank, Joe, Mr. Hardy and the groom himself, just climbing out of Mr. Hardy's Volvo sedan. All of them looked dashing in their black After Six tuxedoes with the green bow ties and cummerbunds, although Matt noticed that Joe's tie hung loose about his neck, and Jack's, while fastened, wasn't tightened down.

"'Bout time you dudes got here," Matt gibed, slapping palms with Frank and nodding cheerfully at the others. "Thought I was going to have to send out the cavalry to find you."

"No chance of that," Fenton rumbled, "not while I'm in charge."

Jack rolled his eyes. "I've been up since six," he announced, "and I was ready and waiting to go way before anyone showed up at the house. If we hadn't already agreed to use Dani's car and leave my truck at home, I'd have driven myself over here!"

Matt motioned for them to follow him. "Let's get started," he urged. "I can go ahead and get some shots of all of you. Come on, come on, we can do some outside shots and then go inside for some more. Joe, fasten your tie. Frank, shoot your cuffs."

Joe complied, muttering softly, something to the effect that Matt and April were two of a kind, and where had Matt's sense of fun disappeared to, anyway? Frank, still on his best behavior, obediently did as requested. Jack, although Matt hadn't addressed him specifically, sheepishly tightened his tie, and buttoned his jacket.

Matt set to work, putting the men in different groupings, posing them to make it look like Fenton was adjusting Jack's tie, catching several candid shots as they relaxed and started joking around. "Okay, let's go inside." Matt eventually shepherded them into the sanctuary, which now was silent and serene; Allison and Macey and the organist had departed, their rehearsal finished.

While Matt fussed with camera lenses, Frank wandered down the main aisle, noting and admiring the glass candle holders and the green and white flowers affixed to the pew backs. He wondered what kinds of flowers they were, and asked his father, figuring Fenton would be the most likely of the party to know. He recognized roses and lilies, but what were the others?

"Some kind of orchid," Fenton stated, "but don't ask me which kind!"

"Dendrobium," Jack contributed, to everyone's surprise. "Hey, I helped pick 'em out, remember? There's more of them in the baskets of flowers up in front, too. Dendrobium orchids, roses and lilies."

"All right, I'm impressed," Joe said, sounding entirely sincere. "There's more to you than just a pretty face, Jack!"

Frank continued his contemplation of the sanctuary. He suspected that the feminine members of the bridal party would be more appreciative of the décor here – the flowers, the candles – but still, even to him it was very pretty. It did bring something to the forefront of his mind, however…when he and Megan married, what would their wedding look like? What colors would she choose? What flowers? What time of year would they hold the wedding? Joe would be his best man, no question there, but who would he choose for other groomsmen? He'd sometimes seen Megan in his dreams, walking down an aisle towards him, but the details – what she was wearing, who else was there – were obscured in mist. He had only seen the brilliant smile on her face and the vivid joy in her eyes.

"Your turn will come sooner than I like to think," a voice interrupted his thoughts, and Frank turned, startled, to see his father smiling at him. "You're still pretty young, but time does go by fast."

Frank grinned sheepishly. "I know we're young – and I haven't quite popped THE question yet, or not exactly, but yes, we'll make it formal one of these days, when the time is right. You know, I think weddings are contagious, Dad!"

"I think you're right," Fenton agreed.

"Dani's going to be gorgeous, and so are the rest of the girls," Joe quipped, sliding into the front pew as Matt began herding them towards the chancel to set up for more of the formal photos. "Even Tinkerbelle, the little rascal. You still breathing, Jack?" he added teasingly. "Not hyperventilating yet?"

"Breathing just fine, thanks," Jack assured them. "We'd better hurry, Matt; I don't want to be here when Dani arrives. We're trying to observe that 'don't see each other before the ceremony' thing. And yes, I know it makes it more difficult on the photographer, but that's just your hard luck," he grinned.

Matt began arranging them to his satisfaction, occasionally putting in less formal shots, such as Frank pinning Joe's boutonniere in place and Fenton fanning a wild-eyed Jack collapsed across a pew.

"Jack, how are you getting along with Dani's grandmother?" Frank inquired, remembering the vivacious older woman he had met the previous evening. "I was going to ask you last night at the rehearsal dinner, but then I got distracted and forgot."

"I get along with her just fine," Jack declared. "I'm marrying her darling baby girl, after all, and making Dani happy. Beverly thinks I'm better than sliced bread."

"That's because she doesn't know you well yet," Joe snickered. "Give her a few more visits to know the real you."

"I'm charming all the time, little Hardy," Jack growled and threatened his groomsman with a menacing fist. "Remind me to give you extra heavy crates to carry when I get back!"

"I'll send you an e-mail to remind you, Mr. Wayne," Matt piped up, pretending he didn't see the gesture Joe aimed his way.

"You'd better make her happy," Fenton warned, "or you might find Beverly Tanner has a sharp side to her tongue. And Dani has a bunch of husky firemen for friends, don't forget!"

"I won't forget," Jack vowed, suddenly sobering. "I intend to make her happy for the rest of our lives. And Matt – it's not 'Mr. Wayne,' that makes me feel like Batman in civvies or something – it's JACK, remember? I bet I've told you five times already!"

"I'm on duty now; I'm being professional," Matt explained. "So…yes, Mr. Wayne; you got it, Mr. Wayne."

Jack groaned and covered his face with his hands.

Finally the young photographer announced he was done for the moment.

"Don't get your clothes messed up," he cautioned, grinning, "but you're all excused for awhile. I've gotta wait for the girls now."

"They aren't here yet, come on back here." Jack led the way to a room behind the sanctuary, with a neat little sign reading 'Groom' on the door, where there were comfortable chairs and a table. On the table was a small cooler with a note in April's handwriting: Jack and boys. Jack opened it and found six bottles of water crammed inside.

"She thought of everything, didn't she?" Joe grinned. "That girl has a great future in some organizational capacity!"

"Wish she'd stuck in some beer," Jack grumbled.

"You'd really go out there and marry Dani with beer on your breath?" Frank asked in horror.

"Well…maybe not," Jack conceded, "but beer's good for most occasions."

"Not this one," Fenton said firmly, and handed Jack one of the water bottles.

A few minutes later they heard the distinct sounds of feminine chatter and Matt got to his feet. "Back to work," he said cheerfully, and left the room.

###

"These dresses are sooooooo gorgeous!" Vanessa twirled around delightedly, watching her reflection in the full-length mirror attached to the wall in the room assigned to the bride and her attendants. The long, apple-slice green gowns with their narrow straps, shirred bodice and Empire waists were not only beautiful, they were flattering to all three of the bridesmaids – something that had looked like a problem, given the different body types of the three girls. "I just love them!"

"Me too," Megan agreed. She was ecstatic that this particular long gown didn't make her look like she was playing dress-up in some grownup's clothing. "And the color is absolutely perfect."

"They even make me look like something other than an airplane pilot and mechanic," April laughed. She had been fluttering anxiously around the room until Dani had firmly told her to settle down and enjoy things now; no more Wedding Coordinator business, just Maid-of-Honor business.

"And Bella's matches them so marvelously!"

"Do you think that the green color really makes me look like that silly cartoon fairy, Tinkerbell?" Bella fretted anxiously. "Joe said it would. And there I'll be with my little wand…"

"It's a candle lighter, not a wand," Megan laughed. "And you don't look like a cartoon fairy, but you do look lovely. Don't pay attention to him; he's just being…Joe."

"All right, let's get the hair and makeup done." Vanessa took charge. "Matt's going to want to take pictures soon, and we'd better be ready for him. We're on a time schedule, remember?"

Beverly, who had been superintending Dani's application of makeup, stepped back. "Dani's makeup is essentially done," she announced, removing the white sheet with which she had shrouded her granddaughter so that Dani's magnificent wedding gown was protected. "Now it's just getting that tiara and veil attached, and she'll be ready to walk down the aisle. How are you feeling, lovey?" she added to Dani.

"Mah-vel-ous," Dani drawled, standing up and fluffing out her skirt. The words were casual, but her eyes sparkled with absolute joy. "I can't wait for the wedding ceremony to start! I never thought I'd find anyone like Jack – my Mr. Right. I hadn't even been looking very hard…but when Mr. Right almost literally drops into your lap, ladies, don't hesitate – grab him!" She laughed richly.

April was still wandering distractedly around the room, muttering about talking to the minister and the organist, when Bella determinedly took her arm and seated her in front of a table with several mirrors on stands on it. "Sit. Stay. Makeup. Hair," the little blonde pronounced, and reached into her bag for a curling iron. "We've got some of that special makeup from Macey, to cover up the bruise on your arm, too."

"Put some on my face," April requested wistfully. "Cover up the freckles too, please?"

"Well, we'll see." Bella set to work on April's hair while Vanessa began the makeup process on the younger girl. Megan did her own makeup, but consented to Bella's magic-working on her curls, and fastening the beautiful jeweled feather-flower ornament that all the bridesmaids were wearing, in place. Dani let her grandmother set her pearl-and-crystal-flowered crown in place, and arrange the long veil it was attached to.

"Do we leave the flowers here until the ceremony, or do we need them for pictures?" Vanessa asked, when everyone was ready at long last. Their bouquets, white dendrobium orchids and white lisianthus with white spray roses and green-dyed Gerbera daisies, resided in long boxes on the table. Dani's bouquet was in a box all its own. Bella was already wearing her wrist corsage. Somehow they'd found something that nearly matched the bridesmaids' hair ornaments, and Bella flaunted her flowers, rhinestone-studded stephanotis blooms accented with rhinestone sprays, marabou feathers, and sheer white ribbon, with glee.

"That's probably up to Matt," Dani replied, just as a light knock sounded on the door.

"Everybody decent in there?" Matt asked, without opening it. "Photo op time!"

"Come on in, Matt, we're all more or less dressed," Bella teased, and Matt poked his head cautiously into the room, then entered.

"Whoa, there's like an overload of pretty in here!" he exclaimed, looking from one to another with admiration. "We're talking seriously beautiful, here!" His eyes widened as Dani stepped out from behind her grandmother. "Ah, Dani – okay, you're somethin' else, girl. Blown-away gorgeous."

Dani blushed, smiling. "Thanks, Matt. That's really nice of you." She smoothed her skirt self-consciously.

"Turn around," Matt directed, waving one hand, and she complied, still blushing as he voiced approval of her dress, with the deep V in both back and front, the short beaded-lace sleeves and the buttons-and-bow in back. "Oh yeah, that is going to look good in the photos. Okay, ladies, let's roll."

Matt kept it light and enjoyable, and had them giggling through the putting-on-the-garter photos, with April kneeling in front and carefully sliding it over Dani's shoe, while the other girls hovered around. Beverly had produced a blue satin-and-lace item that she declared met the criteria for three of the _essential_ items, "Something old – this was mine, from my wedding, Dani! Something borrowed – I'm not letting you keep it. And something blue. So there." Then Matt led them out into the sanctuary for the posed formal shots.

"There – we're done for now," he finally announced. "Just the formal photos with everyone, right after the ceremony, and I'll try to make those fast, so we can all get to the reception."

They departed for their 'green room' in a fluttering cluster of long skirts, high heels and waves of perfume, leaving Matt alone in the sanctuary to pack up his equipment, leaving out only a couple of cameras to use during the ceremony.

"Hey, stud," a soft voice said in his ear, and he looked up, smiling.

"Hiya, babe. You look good." Matt opened his arms and pulled Macey against him, being careful not to crush or wrinkle her dress. Macey hadn't tried to match Dani's attendants, but her pale pink dress complemented her dark hair and blue eyes while still going well with the green and white bridal colors. "And I heard you and Alli practicing. You sound as good as you look – or better."

"It's all so pretty," she said, nestling against him. "I never thought about what kind of wedding I'd want, but this one sure fulfills a lot of fantasies, doesn't it?"

Matt hadn't really considered that before, but when he thought about it, he had to agree with his girlfriend. "They really worked to make everything just right, didn't they?"

She nodded against his shoulder. "Mmm-hmm. Makes people who see it want to do it too. Weddings are contagious."

"That's what Frank said!" Matt was struck by a sudden thought. He cleared his throat self-consciously. "Macey? I know I've never really asked…not in so many words…but you know, when you went to London I realized that – well, babe, you know – I don't think I can get along without you. I mean…ever. And…well…I know things are still kind of iffy, money-wise, and I'd never want you to do anything that would put a kink in your career plans, but…"

She raised her head from his shoulder. "Matt Eckersley, are you asking me to marry you?"

He thought about it. "Um…yeah, I guess maybe I am."

"Well, it's about time!" She burst into laughter and flung her arms about his neck. "'Cause Chandler* and I have been waiting and waiting for you to get around to it! WE decided to marry you a long time ago!"

Matt laughed too, burying his hot face in her dark hair. "I guess I can't disappoint Chandler, can I – or you?"

"No, you can't." She kissed him swiftly and pulled away. "Stud, I love you, and I'm thrilled to death about this, but I've gotta go, and so do you – we've got a wedding to produce!"

Matt stood watching her depart, still somewhat stunned by what he'd just done.

"Hey, Matt – you okay? You look sort of…odd." To Matt's surprise Phil Cohen was there, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Matt stared at his roommate, wondering when and where he'd appeared from, feeling decidedly flummoxed. "Phil… Dude…I – I think I just got engaged!"

Phil's delighted bellow of laughter could be heard all over the building.

#######

*Chandler is a teddy bear that Matt gave Macey early in their relationship. Chandler is Macey's closest companion.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

Thank you so much, Cherylann, Max2013, Jilsen and Sarai for commenting!

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 18

At precisely 4:30 p.m. Beverly Tanner was escorted to her place of honor in the second row of pews on the bride's side of the church, minus her cane but leaning on Frank's arm. She noticed a good many uniformed people in the crowd, some accompanied by spouses, others alone or in groups; firefighters in their dress blues or whites, who were Dani's friends and coworkers. Her heart warmed at this show of support.

From his spot in a front corner of the room, trying to be inconspicuous while still recording the proceedings, Phil Cohen pulled back the focus on his video camera and panned to the back of the sanctuary. Breathing a prayer for all to go well, he hit 'Record.'

As Beverly was seated, Bella Scarpetti, petite and glowing in her green dress and matching high heels, made her way down the main aisle. She carefully lighted each glass-enclosed candle mounted on every third pew, then proceeded to the front, where she touched her gold-toned candle lighter to each taper in the large candelabras. Only the single unity candle behind the altar was left untouched. When all were lit, Bella laid down the lighter on the front pew, and went back down the aisle to where Tony was saving her a place.

Macey O'Rourke rose to her feet and nodded to her accompanists. Allison tucked her Stradivarius beneath her chin and lifted her bow, and Connie, the church's organist, now seated at the piano, poised her hands over the keyboard. Clear notes of an introduction sounded, and Macey began to sing the song Jack and Dani had chosen: "Someone Like You" from the musical _Jekyll and Hyde_.

"…if someone like you  
Found someone like me,  
Then suddenly nothing

would ever be the same!

My heart would take wing,  
And I'd feel so alive –

If someone like you  
Found me!"

As the last echoes of the song died away the minister, followed by Jack, Fenton, Frank and Joe, entered from the side and they took their places. The organist moved hastily from the piano to the organ bench and flipped switches to activate the correct stops and registers on her instrument. The next moment the ringing tones of _Trumpet Voluntary_ filled the sanctuary.

Beverly turned in her seat to watch as the first of the bridesmaids, Vanessa – long-legged and regal, her face composed – walked slowly forward to take her place opposite Joe. Behind her came Megan, not as tall, not as regal, but undeniably beautiful, her red-gold hair swirling around her serene face and her turquoise eyes sparkling. She moved to stand beside Vanessa, directly opposite Frank. Now it was April's turn, caramel-colored hair beautifully curled and hazel eyes a-shine, most of her freckles concealed by Macey's magical makeup tricks. She might be the youngest of them all, but her dignity and composure were unimpaired in her position as Dani's maid of honor. She smiled at Jack as she approached the chancel, and gave him a tiny wink of encouragement.

The music swelled, rising in volume, and now Beverly stood up, signaling the minister, who motioned for everyone to follow her example. Beverly almost forgot to breathe as she saw Dani slowly walking down the aisle alone. Was this really the same young woman who had turned flips and walked on her hands the evening before? Dani's face was suffused with a look of utter contentment and joy as she gazed at Jack waiting for her.

Bev stole a look at Jack, and had to smile; he had looked very handsome and composed two minutes before, standing proudly beside his best man, Fenton Hardy, his hands clasped in front of him. Now he seemed totally mesmerized, unable to tear his eyes from the vision in white coming towards him. Beverly pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes as Dani reached Jack. He took her hand and pulled it into the crook of his arm as they turned to face Reverend Henderson.

"You may be seated," the minister said, and waited while everyone rustled and settled into their respective pews. "Dear friends, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join Jack and Danielle in matrimony, which is an honorable estate among all men; and therefore is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly. Into this holy estate these two persons present now come to be joined. If any persons can show just cause why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

Silence followed, while everyone present seemed to be holding his or her breath. Surely no one would object?

No one did.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

Beverly stood, and spoke in a clear, firm voice. "I, Beverly Tanner, Dani's grandmother, do so, with a whole and happy heart." She sat down, grateful that her voice hadn't quavered, and touched her handkerchief to her eyes again. Dani turned her head and smiled at her grandmother, and blew her a tiny kiss – and then returned her starry gaze to Jack.

Reverend Henderson began to speak of marriage in general, referring to the solemnity of wedding vows and the responsibility of creating a new life together. He read the familiar Biblical verse from the Book of Ruth, adding with a smile that although this was often used in wedding ceremonies, it actually was a woman's vow to her mother-in-law! But, he added, that didn't take away from its beauty or sincerity.

"Entreat me not to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me."*

Then came the vows. Jack sounded muffled and shy as he followed the minister's prompting. "I Jack, take you Danielle to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live."

Dani's words echoed his. Her voice was clear and fervent, her gaze fastened firmly on Jack's face as she spoke.

"Jack, by what token do you pledge your commitment to Dani?"

Fenton stepped in and gave Jack the ring for Dani; April moved forward and took Dani's bouquet, handing her Jack's wedding ring in exchange .

"Dani, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. As it encircles your finger, may it remind you always that you are surrounded by my enduring love." Jack slid the wedding band onto Dani's finger, then raised her hand to press a kiss against it. A tiny sigh rustled through the congregation at this romantic gesture.

"Dani, do you have a token to give Jack, as well?" Reverend Henderson turned to her, smiling. She produced the ring and carefully pushed it onto Jack's hand.

"Jack, this ring I give you, in token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love."

Beverly wiped her eyes again. In her mind she could see and hear Dani's father and mother exchanging their vows, and even echoes of her own marriage to her long-dead husband. There was just something about weddings, she decided, that stuck with you and made everyone involved total romantics.

The minister stepped back, and Jack and Dani moved forward, each picking up a single white taper candle from the altar. Allison lifted her bow, exchanging looks with Macey, who stood up as Alli began to play. The haunting notes of Bernstein's "One Hand, One Heart" rose to the arched rafters of the sanctuary:

"Make of our hands one hand,  
Make of our hearts one heart,  
Make of our vows one last vow:  
Only death will part us now.

Make of our lives one life,  
Day after day, one life.

Now it begins, now we start  
One hand, one heart;  
Even death won't part us now."

Jack and Dani lit their individual candles from the nearest candelabra, then moved to the unity candle. Their combined lights ignited it, two becoming one single flame. They blew out and set down the individual candles and clasped hands, staring deep into each others' eyes, waiting until Macey's song was finished, then stepped back to their former places, still holding hands.

Reverend Henderson spoke once again: "For as much as Jack and Dani have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and these witnesses, and thereto have pledged their faithfulness each to the other, and have pledged the same by the giving and receiving each of a ring, by the authority invested in me according to the laws of the State of New York, I pronounce that they are husband and wife. Those that God has joined together, let no man put asunder. Jack, you may kiss your bride."

Jack, grinning goofily, did so, pulling Dani close and holding her tightly as they kissed – several times. When they finally came up for air, the minister gently turned them towards the congregation.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor and pleasure to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Wayne – Jack and Dani!"

Triumphant organ notes pealed out at high volume, beginning Purcell's _Trumpet Tune_. Dani retrieved her bouquet from April, and she and Jack started back down the aisle, her hand caught in the crook of his elbow. Matt, feeling more and more like a member of the _paparazzi_ , backed rapidly away from them in a semi-crouch, his camera's automatic shutter snapping at high speed. As Jack and Dani reached the end of the aisle, Fenton stepped forward, holding out his arm to April, who took it with a happy smile. They proceeded down the aisle, followed by Frank and Megan. Vanessa and Joe brought up the rear, all of them beaming with delight. Matt had somehow scooted back into position to catch each couple as they exited, his own ecstatic smile reflecting theirs.

Outside the sanctuary the bridal party paused, knowing that whereas all their guests could race off to the reception location, _they_ had to stay and pose for formal pictures first. Bowing to the inevitable, they hastily formed a small receiving line consisting of Jack, Dani, and the three bridesmaids, so that departing guests could offer their congratulations before leaving for the country club. Fenton, Frank and Joe had to return to the sanctuary to slowly 'release' the congregation row by row, to prevent a traffic jam of people in the narthex.

Beverly was escorted out first, by Fenton, who indicated that she should join the receiving line as well. As she approached it she saw Jack bend down to kiss Dani once again and then say something to her. Bev could barely hear him, due to the hubbub of chatter plus the mighty organ tones, but she read his lips clearly:

"I love you, Dani Wayne – with all my heart and soul."

###########

*The Book of Ruth 1:16

"One Hand, One Heart," from _West Side Story_ , copyright December 23, 1961

"Someone Like You", from _Jekyll and Hyde – the Musical_ , copyright 1994


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.

Thank you so much to Cherylann, Jilsen, Max2013 and Sarai for reading and commenting on this story.

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 19

"I've never been here before." Megan gazed around the interior of the Bayport Country Club clubhouse with interest. "It's very…sporty."

Frank laughed, pulling her closer so he could drape an arm about her shoulders. "That was a tactful way of putting it, Baby. But you'll like the banquet facilities, I think, and that's where the reception's being held." He steered her past the big glass windows overlooking the golf course, following the discreet signs pointing the way to the banquet and meeting rooms. "Have I mentioned how beautiful you look?" he added, bending down to speak directly into her ear. "That dress – the color looks so good on you. And that glittery thing in your hair… Baby, I thought nothing could look better than you in your gold velvet dress, but today? All I can say is: wow!" He brushed her hair lightly with his lips.

Megan sighed happily and snuggled closer. "You look pretty incredible yourself." She smoothed the lapel of his tux jacket with gentle fingers. "I know most men look good in formal clothes, but Frank, darling, you could be an ad for After Six!"

He laughed again, blushing slightly. "Thanks. But Joe and Dad and Jack – and Matt, too, they all look nice as well – as you say, just about any guy looks good in a tux."

When they reached the banquet room, Megan pondered briefly on what to do with her bouquet of flowers. She had carried it in with her, loath to leave it in the car where it would most certainly wilt in the June evening warmth. "Where are we sitting?" she inquired, gazing around the big room full of round tables, with one long table stretched across one side. "Do they have everyone in the wedding party at the bride's table? Maybe I could just lay my bouquet on the table by my place."

"Yes, we're all at the head table; the bridesmaids and groomsmen, anyway," a new voice answered her question, and they turned to see April, with Todd in tow. She grinned. "And Mrs. Hardy and Todd, of course. There's a little side table where we can put our flowers, Megan. Come on, I'll show you."

They wandered about the large room, talking to people and just circulating, waiting for everyone to arrive. Jack and Dani would probably be the last to get there – and Matt, of course. He'd been working at the fastest pace he dared, trying to get all the formal poses completed, and had excused the rest of the wedding party, leaving only Jack and Dani's 'couple' shots for last.

"There's Joe. How'd we get here before he did?" Frank snickered. "He must've gotten caught at that intersection where the train was going through." They'd ridden from the church with Fenton and Laura, but stopped at home to add some more cars, so they wouldn't be so crowded. Frank waved at Joe and Vanessa, who moved to join them. Megan pointed out the little table, and Vanessa deposited her flowers. They waited to sit down; once they did so they'd be unable to talk, as they were placed at opposite ends of the long head table.

"There's your folks," Megan noted. "I love your mom's dress. She always looks pretty; I've never seen her look anything but pretty – but that deep rose color makes her look like…well, like a rose!" she laughed.

"Blondes are lucky; we can wear almost any color – well, except orange, maybe, or brown," Vanessa observed dryly.

"Who can wear orange?" Megan made a face.

Bubbly laughter announced Bella's presence. She was clinging tightly to Tony's arm and heading straight for the anteroom where the caterers – her crew from Marco's – were efficiently preparing the buffet, waiting only for the bride and groom to get there before they started serving. Although the food was prepared by Marco's, the staff from the country club was going to be waiting on the tables, once everyone had filled their plates.

Phil and Allison came in, accompanied by Macey, who had ridden with them rather than waiting for Matt. Phil was still a little breathless over his unexpected task of videotaping the wedding ceremony, and was keeping his fingers crossed that the tape turned out well. They waved at the Hardys, and moved to find their place cards at one of the big round tables. April had carefully considered who sat where, and the Hardys' closest friends were all seated near the head table. There were small disposable cameras on each table, along with the tiny bottles of bubble solution; Dani and Jack didn't intend for Matt to spend the whole reception trying to photograph the festivities, and knew they could get some nice candid shots from the amateurs.

It was getting crowded now, and noisy. The room seemed full of uniforms, with so many of Dani's firefighter friends in attendance, and business was brisk at the open bar.

"There's just something about men in uniform," Bella gushed, coming up behind Joe so unexpectedly that he jumped in surprise. "Not that there's anything wrong with tuxedos, of course."

"And I'm not in either one," Tony sighed. "I didn't think I needed to wear mine. Will you still love me, Bella _mia,_ even if I'm not in uniform or a tux?"

"Always," she said, with surprising force. Tony smiled down at her and brushed a kiss against her hair.

"There's Matt!" April chirped excitedly. "That must mean…"

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Fenton's voice boomed out from his position by the entrance doors. "Please welcome…Mr. and Mrs. Jack Wayne!"

All the guests began to applaud, and Jack and Dani appeared in the doorway, flushed and smiling, Jack gripping Dani's elbow as if he had no intention of ever letting her go. They moved through the crowd, fielding congratulations on all sides. It was made easier by the fact that most of the guests had talked to them at the church, prior to coming over to the country club, but still slow going. Finally they made it to their places at the head table, and Dani set down her bouquet with the others, then sighed with relief as she sank into her chair and carefully removed her tiara and veil.

"My feet hurt," she complained.

"Take your shoes off under the table," Megan giggled.

"I just might!" She turned to her husband. "Jack, if I take off my shoes, will you bring me my dinner so I don't have to walk around without them?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Not a chance, woman," he grinned. "and who says I might not take mine off too? Will you go get my dinner then?"

"Dani, nobody's going to even know if you take them off, with that long skirt," Vanessa reminded her. "Get comfortable, for pity's sake! This is your wedding reception; if you can't go shoeless, who can?"

Without another word the new Mrs. Wayne ducked below the table edge to undo the straps on her shoes.

"Jack! Dani! Come start the buffet line!" Bella was calling now. "Bride and groom first, followed by the rest of the wedding party; then everyone else."

"Find your places at the tables," April added, "and the wait staff will signal your table when it's your turn."

###

When the main courses were done and people were nibbling on the tiny tarts, miniature éclairs, little raspberry and lemon bars, and fresh fruit that was provided for dessert – of course the wedding cake was still to come – Fenton rose to his feet and tapped his knife on his water goblet to command everyone's attention.

"I'm Fenton Hardy, Jack's best man," he began, when it was quiet, "and it falls on me to present the first toast to the bride and groom. Now, offering toasts isn't exactly in my line, but thanks to the magic of the internet, I come prepared." His dark eyes twinkled. "First, however, I want to mention that it's all due to me that Jack and Dani met each other, and for those of you who don't know the story, they met right here on the golf course of this very country club. Unfortunately, it was in the line of duty for Dani!" He waited for the laughter to die down before continuing. "I want to remind Jack that he should never, ever turn down an invitation to play golf, because you never know what might happen on a golf course." He smiled gently. "You might meet the love of your life there."

Jack and Dani both nodded vigorously.

"But – as far as a formal toast goes…well, I memorized one that sounded pretty good. Jack, Dani, my greatest wish for the two of you is that through the years your love for each other will so deepen and grow, that years from now you will look back on this day, your wedding day, as the day you loved each other the least. Your love only grew and intensified from this day on. Here's to you." Fenton lifted his wineglass high, then drank from it, and everyone followed his example. Applause filled the room as he took his seat, and Laura leaned in close and kissed his cheek.

To the surprise of all, including the bride and groom, Joe Hardy was the next person to rise. "I have a toast to offer to the bridesmaids. Dad isn't the only person who can use the internet for inspiration." He cleared his throat and looked directly at Vanessa. "Here's to the bridesmaids. We admire them for their beauty, respect them for their intelligence, adore them for their virtues, and love them because we can't help it. _Skoal_!"

" _Skoal_!" shouted the crowd and drank enthusiastically.

"Joe, that was wonderful!" Vanessa hugged him, and April leaned over from the other side to follow suit.

"Meant every word, babe." He leaned forward to catch Megan's eye, as she was too far away to hug. "To you, Red," he mouthed, lifting his glass once again.

Jack got up and looked down at his radiant bride. "We have some thank-yous to offer to several people," he announced, "but first I have a toast to offer to my wife. Dani, darling, you know all about me and love me just the same. As A.A. Milne said, if we both lived to be a hundred, I'd want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I'd never have to live without you. Here's to you."

Megan sniffled as she sipped, her eyes shimmering with tears. "Oh, that's so sweet," she whispered to Frank. He nodded, feeling just a little sentimental himself.

"As I said before, we have some people to thank," Jack continued then. "First and foremost – my sister, April. She took on the monumental task of wedding coordinator for us – as well as the position of maid of honor. We laughed at her sometimes, we teased her, we made her life miserable…and she soldiered on, kept us on track, made sure we got everything done we needed to, made sure we didn't forget important dates and times. I know she was ready to tear out her hair more than once, but she never gave up. April – little sis – we're more grateful than we can say. You did a bang-up job; nobody could have done a better one, and we love you dearly. To you."

"Hear, hear!" Dani was on her feet, holding up her wineglass as well. "To April – thank you, thank you, thank you!"

April blushed rosy red, ducking her head shyly as the whole room echoed with the shout "To April!"

"To Fenton, my best man," Jack continued. "A thankless job if ever there was one. Fenton, thank you so much. And undying thanks to my friends Frank and Joe Hardy, who introduced me to Dani – after I fell in love with her." He looked around the room, smiling. "I won't offer toasts to everyone, but I do want to name them. Please hold your applause until I finish the list, if you would. Matt Eckersley, an amazing photographer who did an incredible job. I can't wait to see the final results, Matt! Bella Scarpetti, our lovely candle lighter, who generously provided this incredible reception banquet and equally yummy rehearsal dinner, compliments of Marco's of New York. Macey O'Rourke, who brought her international and Broadway experience to grace us with her beautiful singing."

"When the heck did Jack get so eloquent?" Joe hissed aside to Todd, since he didn't have Frank nearby.

Todd shrugged a little. "Maybe the wine's inspiring him," he suggested with a grin.

Jack was forging ahead while he still had the courage to do so. Public speaking wasn't his strong suit. "Many thanks to Phil Cohen, who stepped in at the eleventh hour to videotape the wedding ceremony for us, and to Allison Lewis, whose violin music added so much to the ceremony. And if we can talk her and Macey into it, maybe they'll add to the reception as well."

"Just ask us!" Macey shouted blithely from their table. Considering they'd asked her several days before, it was a pretty safe bet she and Alli both had music prepared.

"And a final toast," Jack concluded, "to Dani's grandmother, Beverly Tanner, who raised Dani from the age of 13. Mrs. Tanner—"

"Jack, for pity's sake, call me Beverly!" Bev snapped, and everyone laughed.

"Beverly," he corrected, "I owe you the most thanks of all – thank you for my wonderful Dani." He raised the glass once more. " _Salut_!"

#####

" _Dream…when you're feeling blue_

 _Dream…that's the thing to do,_

 _Just watch the smoke rings rise in the air_

 _You'll find your share_

 _Of memories there…"_

The old tune wrapped itself around the dancers as they moved across the small dance floor adjacent to the banquet tables. The lights had been dimmed in that section of the room; the hired DJ had set up in one corner, and begun spinning tunes, old romantic ones at first. Jack and Dani led off the dancing, of course, and Matt had taken more pictures of them, Dani vibrant and radiant in her wedding gown, although her shoes were still beneath the table; Jack debonair in his tuxedo. After the first dance together they split off, each finding new partners, and the music alternated between lively modern rock, and old standards. Jack – and most of the other men – removed his coat and loosened his tie, and Dani wasn't the only woman to take off her shoes. She'd danced with Fenton, with Frank and Joe, with Matt and Phil and Tony. She'd danced with her best pal at work, Paul Rodriguez, with her stationhouse captain and many co-workers, and a couple of battalion chiefs, while Jack squired their spouses and the rest of the ladies in attendance.

Now people were back with their own particular partners for this old romantic ballad.

###

"I love that song," Vanessa murmured. She rested her head on Joe's shoulder as they danced, humming softly. "It makes me think of old Fred Astaire movies."

"Mmm-hmmm…. 's nice." Joe turned his head slightly to nuzzle the curl which spiraled down in front of Vanessa's ear, thanks to Bella's determined efforts with the curling iron. "It's nice…but I love you."

###

"You having fun, Baby?" Frank spun Megan around lazily in time with the dreamy music. "You look like you are." Indeed, Megan was almost incandescent in her delight, her silvery laughter chiming softly, her dimple constantly flashing. No one could convey happiness like Megan.

"So much fun! It's just glorious!"

"This the kind of wedding and reception you want to have?" he dared to ask – and held his breath.

She looked up at him, those long-lashed blue eyes dancing with merriment. "Maybe. I'll let you know."

###

"How long do you think it will be before you'll have to think of toasts suitable for the father of the groom?" Laura whispered to her husband as he steered her towards a dark corner of the room. "Both Frank and Joe look absolutely dazzled tonight."

"Let's hope it's not for a few more years," Fenton murmured. "I'm not quite ready for that position just yet."

###

"You did mean it, didn't you, stud?" Macey gazed into Matt's eyes with a very wistful expression as they sat at their table holding each others' hands, taking a break from the dance floor. "I know I sort of pounced on you. If you didn't…I wouldn't hold you to it if…even Chandler won't. Teddy bears are very forgiving, you know. Chandler more than most, even."

Matt's hazel-green eyes glowed with sincerity. "Macey, babe, I meant it, I meant every word. I can't promise you when…but there's no if. I want to marry you, and I don't need Chandler's forgiveness!" They both laughed, and he pulled her close and kissed her.

"If it's the money aspect, stud, between your photography and my show gigs, we can make it fine," Macey reminded him. "And you need more room for your cameras and stuff…and I'm sick and tired of living in the dorm when I'm not on tour…"

"I'll tell Phil he needs to look for another roommate," Matt said, and leaned back in his chair, supremely content.

###

Midway through the dances Dani slipped away, accompanied by April and Beverly, and changed from her wedding gown into her 'going away' dress – still swirling, frothy and beautiful, but short, and less formal, so she could dance in semi-comfort to something other than slow ballads. Plus, she would wear this dress when she and Jack made their departure. She switched to different shoes, too, ones she could dance in.

Another fast song started, and one of the firefighters from a station across town approached Dani. "Congratulations, Dani. Dance with me?" he invited. It was evident that he'd been enjoying the champagne punch, but was still steady on his feet.

She nodded and took his arm. "I'm afraid I don't even know your name," she admitted as he led her to the dance floor. "I've seen you around, but we've never met formally." She and Jack had sent a blanket invitation to the Bayport fire department, not expecting much of a response. It was surprising how many had RSVP'd and shown up.

"It's Brady, Brady Nichols. I work at Station 14."

"Ah, our archrivals – you beat us pretty soundly in last year's Firefighters' Baseball Tournament! Nice to meet you, Brady. Thank you for coming to my wedding," Dani smiled as they moved to a spot near the open glass doors. Couples could dance out onto a deck overlooking the golf course, and were only a few steps above the ground at that point. Apparently Brady wished to dance outside. Well, that was all right.

"We may have beat you in the baseball tournament, but you stole our mascot," Brady accused, laughing.

"You took ours first!" Dani retorted with a wide grin. Station #4's pet Dalmatian dog, Dot by name, lived with one of the firemen, but he brought her to work with him, and she had her own kennel and dog run there. Station #14 had dog-napped Dot a few months prior…and #4 had retaliated by kidnapping their pet pygmy goat, Butt'n!

They danced – and as the song ended, Dani expected Brady to escort her back inside the banquet room and return her to her seat, or else ask for the next dance. Instead, he pulled her towards the stair leading to the ground.

"Brady, what are you doing? Let's go back inside."

"Nope, don't think so. C'mon, Dani." He pulled harder, and to her shock there were suddenly two other men at the foot of the steps reaching for her. "We're gonna take you for a little ride – a joyride!" Brady chortled.

"What are you talking about? Let me go!" Dani struggled to free herself, to no avail. Laughing uproariously, they hustled her down the stairs and pulled her across the green grass of the golf course toward the parking lot.

"Just a little ride," Brady panted, "and then we'll bring you back, safe and sound. Haven't you ever heard of stealing the bride? You're way better than a Dalmatian!"

"No! You jerks, let me go! LET ME GO!" Dani took a deep breath and screamed piercingly. "JAAAACK!"

#######

"Dream" by Johnny Mercer, copyright 1943


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).

This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last work in the story arc.

As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories

Thank you to everyone who read, enjoyed and commented on this story. You are appreciated so much! Cherylann, Jilsen, Max2013 and Sarai, thanks for hanging in there to the end!

 **June Brides**

By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA

Chapter 20, the conclusion

Jack twirled his little sister around in a circle as their dance came to a close, and gave her a little half-bow as he released her. "Thank you, sis, you dance nearly as well as you fly." April laughed, kissed his cheek and turned away to return to Todd, who was unable to do much dancing due to his bruised knee.

Jack scanned the big, crowded room, looking for his wife. He realized full well that she had 'responsibility' dances and so did he, but it seemed that it might be time for them to have another dance together. He'd seen her last dancing with some guy in uniform whom he didn't recognize; one of the many members of the Bayport Fire Department who had come to wish Dani well.

Still looking, frowning when he didn't spot her immediately, his attention was caught by the sound of a scream from outside – and that scream was Dani's voice, calling his name! He dashed to the open doors, shoving past dancers, tables and several waiters with complete disregard for politeness, and looking out, spotted her being dragged away by someone – two someones? She was struggling to get away, to no avail.

'FENTON!" Jack's bellow silenced the guests. Somehow he'd instinctively known to appeal to the one person who would respond instantly. "Someone's got Dani!"

Fenton was beside him in a few scant seconds, both leaning over the deck railing and peering through the dusk toward the parking lot. They saw Dani being stuffed into a dark-hued SUV by a couple of men in firefighters' dress uniforms.

"Come on!" Caring not a whit for the tuxedo he was wearing, Fenton put a hand to the railing and vaulted over, breaking into a run as soon as his feet hit the grass. Jack followed, thankful he'd removed his jacket and tie earlier.

Inside the banquet room, Frank had heard Jack's shout, had seen his father dash outside, and knew something big was going down. He waved frantically at Joe to catch the younger man's attention. "Joe! JOE!" He beckoned, and then headed for the doors, following Fenton and Jack.

Joe obeyed the summons, shoving through the packed room with scant civility. Matt, who had been at the bar getting a drink for Macey, looked around, saw the Hardys' departure, and abandoned his errand. He snatched his camera case from the table as he sped by, and joined Frank and Joe on the deck. They were in time to see a dark Ford Explorer peel out of the parking lot, followed a few moments later by Jack and Fenton in Fenton's Volvo sedan.

"What the heck?" Joe reached into his pocket for his car keys. "Let's go!" The three dashed down the steps and made for the parking lot at a dead run. Joe triggered the door locks open before they reached the BMW, and they piled in, Matt scrambling into the back while Frank took the front passenger seat.

"Buckle up," Joe snapped, and jammed the key into the ignition. He shoved the car into gear and peeled out of the lot with squealing tires and the smell of burning rubber. Matt pulled a camera from his case and leaned forward between the front bucket seats, already snapping photos with abandon.

"Eckersley, you're just plain weird," Joe muttered, slowing only slightly as they gained the street.

"Hey, man, not all that many people get to photograph a car chase!"

Frank was fishing vainly in his pockets. "Damn, I don't have my cell phone! I left it sitting on the table at the reception," he exclaimed in disgust. "I wanted to call the police and tell them what was going on – or as much as we know, anyway." He scowled, looking over at Joe. "What about you?"

Joe shook his head. "In the trunk," he said tersely, jerking his head toward the rear of the car.

"And mine's in my coat pocket, back at the country club!" Matt muttered.

"Well, then we're just going to have to keep them in sight and hope traffic's light." Frank sighed and leaned back, tightening his seat belt a little more as Joe whipped the BMW around a corner. They headed into Backal Road, an off-the-beaten-path street all of a mile long that dead-ended at one end and became a T-corner at the other.

Joe pressed down on the accelerator and moved closer to Fenton's car, tailing him as closely as he dared. Fenton, in his turn, was running dead behind the dark SUV. "Whatever's going on, people are driving like maniacs," Joe grumbled. "Matt, if you use your telephoto can you see anything?"

Matt scrabbled in the camera bag and pulled out his telephoto lens which he snapped carefully onto the front of the camera. He peered into the viewfinder, trying to focus on the fleeing SUV as they swung around corners and he had a decent view without the Volvo blocking the way. "Whoa, dude! They've got Dani! She's in the back seat of that Explorer! No wonder Jack and your dad took off like a bat outta hell! Man, those dudes are going to be in so much trouble!"

"Someone's kidnapped Dani? From her own wedding reception?!" Frank stared in shock at Joe. "But…those guys looked like firemen – they were in uniform, weren't they? I thought they were friends…!"

Joe didn't bother looking at him; he was concentrating on dragging the car around another sharp corner – completely ignoring the stop sign there. Matt dropped his camera in his lap, braced his feet on the floorboards and one hand on the ceiling, and held on for dear life to the back of Joe's seat.

"I have no clue," Joe finally answered his brother, once he had the BMW straightened out again and had accelerated. "You know as much as I know. But if Dani's in there, I can bet it's not by choice!"

"Y-yeah." Frank grabbed for the strap hanging over his window, grimacing as Joe made yet another turn onto Jackson Avenue and his seat belt dug into his side.

"I am so going to be sick," Matt groaned from the back.

"Do not barf in my car, Eckersley," Joe growled, gripping the steering wheel with white-knuckled hands. "If you don't like the transportation quit climbing into cars with us!"

"JOE!" Frank snapped, scandalized by his brother's attitude.

"Sorry, Matt, sorry; I didn't mean that." Joe slowed the car down slightly.

"If you'd been drinking champagne all evening you'd feel the same way!" Matt managed through gritted teeth.

"He's got a point, Joe. Matt, don't look through the viewfinder anymore, no wonder you're getting sick. Look out the front window instead."

"I said I was sorry… You know," Joe added, "I never knew Dad could drive like this!"

"Hah!" Frank responded dryly. "I did. I saw it up close and personal when he was chasing Dominic Scarpetti. And Dad's had a glass or two of champagne himself tonight – oh my God! What are they doing?! Joe, slow down!"

Joe complied, and they watched, horror-stricken, as Fenton suddenly whipped the Volvo into the left-hand lane and attempted to pass the Explorer. The SUV abruptly changed lanes, swerving back and forth to prevent Fenton's maneuver and not allow him any advantage. The Volvo perforce dropped back into the right lane.

"Damn," Joe muttered. "Thought he had him there…we could have boxed – whoops!" The Explorer had skidded into a less-than-90-degree right turn into a side street they'd scarcely noticed. Joe slowed to make the turn, expecting his father to have to pass the turnoff and backtrack, and barely avoided being sideswiped by Fenton, who put the Volvo nearly on two wheels to manage the turn. The acrid odor of burning rubber filled the air again.

"My God…okay, Joe, I swear, I will never, ever complain about your driving again." Frank, who had been involuntarily holding his breath, gasped out the words. Matt, in the back seat, had gone glassy-eyed and silent with shock

"Who'd've thought," Joe murmured, still in awe of his father's recklessness. "Where are we, anyway? I can't take time to look at the street signs."

Frank peered at the markers as they flashed by. "Alabaster Hunt Drive," he said, and then, doing a quick calculation, added "Joe, take the next left!"

"Huh? Why?"

"Just do it! Left, now!"

Joe obeyed and they rocketed through a red light, Frank and Matt clutching at any part of the car they could, and Joe gripping the steering wheel with grim determination. "Why are we going this way? We'll lose them!"

"Now turn right at the next street," Frank instructed, ignoring Joe's query and watching for street signs again. "That's MLK."

"Ah – gotcha." Joe eased around the corner and depressed the gas pedal again. They shot down the four-lane Martin Luther King boulevard, glad to be off the curving lesser roads.

"Up there," Frank pointed ahead. "This street joins up with Alabaster Hunt Drive – or rather, Alabaster Hunt veers and joins MLK," he explained to Matt. "Step on it, Joe, we can get ahead of them! I think I know where they're heading."

Joe had wished he had Frank's running map in his head, rather than having to blindly follow instructions, but he did realize now where they were, and remembered how those particular streets curved and joined. He saw the signs indicating the upcoming merge and crossed his fingers that traffic would be ultra-light on this Saturday evening. They careened onto Alabaster Hunt and Joe, checking his rearview mirror, saw the SUV behind him, and grinned wolfishly. "But now what? They can turn, and we'd have to go out of our way to find them – see there?"

He cursed under his breath as the Explorer did exactly that, swinging to the right, still closely followed by the gold Volvo. Joe had to go up another block, as the streets were alternating one-way, before he could turn. He slowed down, hoping they'd be lucky enough to spot their quarry before it made a clean getaway.

"There!" It was Matt, pointing frantically. "Look dude, there they are!"

Sure enough, there was the SUV, slowing down…and stopping.

Joe, checking behind him hastily, put the car into reverse, then swung down the cross-street. Pulling to a stop, he almost laughed. "What the hell!? We're at a fire station!"

Fenton's car screeched to a stop directly behind the Explorer. Jack opened the passenger door and leaped out, staggered slightly, then lurched towards the Explorer.

"Lord, Jack doesn't look any too healthy himself," Frank murmured.

"Can you blame him, after seeing what Dad was doing behind the wheel?"

"Don't tell me she got kidnapped by her partners!" Matt exclaimed in disbelief.

"Nope, this isn't Dani's station. She works out of Number 4," Frank said. He unlatched his seat belt. "This is 14. Still probably a big hoax, though."

"If we risked life and limb for nothing but a joke…" Joe muttered angrily. He and Matt got out of the car too, and Matt lifted his camera.

Meanwhile, Jack had yanked open the SUV's front passenger door and jerked someone out – a fireman, judging by the uniform. Without a word the enraged young pilot cocked back his right fist and let fly. It connected with the other man's jaw with stunning force. Brady Nichols fell back against the Explorer, then slid down to the pavement. Jack, ignoring him and the rest of the kidnappers, who were piling out of the SUV, opened the back door and reached inside for his bride.

Frank, Joe and Matt – still snapping photos and feeling yet again like a member of the _paparazzi_ – ran across the street to the SUV just as Dani was pulled out. Jack tugged at the lightweight rope looped around her and confining her wrists, freeing her completely, and caught her in his arms. "Oh Dani," he choked out, and kissed her.

Fenton strode up, dark eyes flashing with anger. "Just what in Hades do you think you were doing?" he demanded harshly of the firemen. "Kidnapping! Breaking traffic laws! Driving under the influence!"

"I wasn't under the influence!" the driver protested. "I didn't have anything to drink tonight at all! The other stuff…well, I admit we probably bent a few traffic laws…"

"Kidnapping's a federal offense," Fenton reminded him sternly, although Frank and Joe, who knew him best, could see a slight twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

"Frank, dude, your dad can hardly say anything about _them_ driving recklessly…" Matt breathed into Frank's ear. Frank, trying not to laugh, jabbed an elbow backwards to hush him up.

"It was a joke! Just a prank!" Brady scrambled to his feet, rubbing his jaw. "And some revenge – Station #4 stole our pet goat! We had to do something big, and this is really big. It's huge! They'll have to go some to beat this!"

"You did this – you took me from my WEDDING RECEPTION, and hauled me all over town and nearly caused a wreck…because we stole your damned GOAT?" Dani freed herself from Jack's embrace and stalked toward Brady and his friends, her hands clenched into fists. "I will beat you to a pulp, Nichols – and your friends, too!"

" 'And your little dog, too…'" Joe whispered, snickering. Frank shot another elbow, this time in Joe's direction.

"He already did," Brady whined, rubbing his jaw and pointing at Jack, who stood glowering at them all.

"Aw, c'mon, Tanner!" the driver cajoled, "you're okay! No wreck. No harm, no foul, right? Nothing wrong! And you cussed us all out enough in the car – I didn't know nice girls knew words like that!"

Still furious, Dani drew in a breath, evidently about to show him some more words she knew, but Jack pulled her into his arms again. "You're lucky that's all she did to you," he snarled. Matt surreptitiously took some more pictures, all the while suppressing the urge to break into hysterical howls of laughter. "If you'd been serious about this, we'd be ripping out your livers to feed them to you," Jack went on. "As it is, I'm taking my wife back to our wedding reception. You three…don't bother coming back. You're uninvited as of right now."

He led Dani back towards Fenton's sedan. As they got there, Dani turned to cast one last vicious glance at her kidnappers.

"Of course you realize," she said, leaning on the car door, "this means war."

Then she ducked her head and got into the car.

Frank, Joe and Matt waited until Fenton had driven away before looking back at the three chagrined pranksters.

"We'll let it go this time," Joe said clearly, rubbing his right fist into his left hand suggestively. "But if it happens again…" He pounded his fist into his cupped hand. Just once.

#####

"Once again, presenting Mr. and Mrs. Jack Wayne," Fenton called out as he, Jack and Dani re-entered the reception room. There were cheers and scattered applause from the slightly confused guests, and several demands for an explanation of what had happened.

Dani grabbed the DJ's microphone. "I'll explain," she said, and did so.

"MY men kidnapped you?" roared a burly gray-haired captain, when she mentioned Station 14. "Why, those snot-nosed, cowardly imbeciles!" His wife shushed him, embarrassed, and he subsided into grumbles and mutters, but it was fairly evident that there might be several suspensions in the works over at Station #14. He apologized profusely to Jack, who happened to be standing near.

Dani smiled, satisfied. Revenge was sweet, oh, yes it was. "Please, go on having fun and dancing," she requested the wedding guests. "Besides – we still have a cake to cut! Just give me a few minutes to put myself back together."

Frank, Joe and Matt returned just as Jack and Dani were making their way toward the rather-neglected cake, a towering beauty decorated with white and green frosting flowers. The couple obligingly waited for Matt to change cameras and get situated, and for the crowd to gather around the cake table.

"Hey there, handsome." Megan sidled up to Frank and wound one arm about his waist. "Fancy seeing you here. Missed you!" She smiled up at him, letting her eyes sparkle invitingly. "And I want to hear all about the wild pursuit and daring rescue, okay? Dani didn't go into enough detail."

He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "Hi, beautiful. Missed you, too. And yes, I'll tell you all about it – tomorrow!" He bent down and kissed her cheek as Jack and Dani put both their hands on a silver cake knife and cut a small piece. They carefully divided it into two equal parts and, as flashes sparked, just as decorously fed each other bites…although Dani's eyes sparkled with mischief the whole time.

April held her breath. They'd promised they wouldn't smoosh it into each other's faces…they'd _promised!_ Only when the cake pieces were safely consumed did she exhale a long sigh of relief.

Once the ritual first pieces were cut, Jack and Dani stepped away from the table, allowing Laura and Beverly to begin cutting slices for the guests. Eating wedding cake and drinking coffee took precedence over dancing for a while, but eventually people returned to the dance floor and the music started up again.

The wedding couple, however, conferred briefly and then decided that it was time to call it a day. It was nearly ten o'clock, their flight to the Dominican Republic left early the next morning, and they wanted to get to their hotel near the airport. However, there was one more ceremonial ritual to honor.

Dani stopped and kissed her Grandma Beverly, one last goodbye kiss, then stepped over to the little flower table and picked up something special the florist had made for her – a 'toss bouquet' consisting of a few more Stargazer lilies tied with pale green ribbon. "Girls! Girls! Gather 'round! I'm going to throw my bouquet!" she shouted.

With much chattering, giggling and excited conversation, the younger women clustered around: Bella, Macey, Vanessa and Allison, Megan and April, some of the unmarried female paramedics and firefighters, girlfriends of the male contingent. The men stepped back, creating space. Dani turned her back and closed her eyes…and lofted the flowers into the air.

The bouquet soared up high…and came down – almost directly between Macey and Megan, who both instinctively reached out their hands. At the last second, Megan pulled back, allowing the other girl to grab the flowers. Macey clutched them tightly, squealing with delight. Her face shining with happiness, she shouted "Thank you, Dani!" and spun around, looking for Matt. When he saw her holding the flowers, he grinned and blushed crimson – and held out his arms.

"Come on, quick!" Jack seized Dani's hand and tugged her toward the door. "No one's watching! Now's the time to make our escape!" Those few who saw them leaving called out farewells and blew the little bottles of bubble liquid, but mostly they avoided notice.

April saw them go. She waved to them, blowing bubbles and kisses, her eyes filled with happy tears.

###

"Well, darn! It didn't even come close to me!" But Bella was laughing, as were most of the other girls. "Tony, you're off the hook for now!" she called exuberantly.

"Hey, who caught Callie's bouquet?" Joe asked Vanessa. "I don't think I saw her throw it."

She smiled mysteriously, gray-blue eyes sparkling. "Oh…well…I'll tell you about that, some time."

"I saw that," Frank murmured. "You could have had it if you'd tried."

Megan turned, raising her face to his. "I know. But I can wait a little longer…just not too long."

"Not too long," he agreed, and bent to kiss her gently on the lips.

Nearby, Joe was kissing Vanessa as well. Matt had Macey clasped tightly against himself, the bouquet crushed between them. Off to one side, Fenton drew Laura close and bent his head as his lips sought hers.

Weddings are contagious – and love was in the air.

The End


End file.
